I'm Sticking With You
by xxxGoldrusherxxx
Summary: Jake is a troubled boy with a horrific past, who is struggling with strange feelings he thinks he shouldn't have. Fortuantly, he has friends that will always be there for him. Some adult themes. Moderate language & violence. mostly het, some mild yaoi. OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men, This story stems from one written by Yaoiboy167, 'The Final Chapter' and several characters are the inventions of other people, so thank you to them. Jake Kitchiner, 'Kitchie' (aka. Glue), the main in this story, is my own invention, and I'm proud of it.

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A/N, This story contains depictions of homosexuality... err, Kitchie's gay. Always has been, and always will be. If you don't like, don't read, I have no time for may contain mild swearing, mild violence, very mild slash, and some fluffy romance (Jake's a cutey and a softy, so wadda you expect). On a darker note, It will contain some emotional content relating to suggested physical and mental abuse, bullying, homophobia and sexual abuse. Rate T coz I think M is too harsh.

Please read and review, I love reviews, they make me feel good, and I like critisms, I wanna know how to improve and make sure people enjoy my stuff, Because there's no point in me publishing if you don't. Now to the story, enjoy...

Jake sat atop the roof of the Xavier Mansion, watching the sun go down. He rarely enjoyed the sunset, he rarely sat down for that matter, but he always felt happy watching the beautiful colours, the pinks and vibrant oranges, the red and purples, meld into one another, it looked exciting, yet so calm. Jake always likened it to a car chase in an action movie going really slowly, that was how he thought. A cool breeze left him shivering, and he hugged himself tightly for warmth, it didn't help that he was skinny, some said too skinny, but he couldn't put on weight for some reason. His skinniness was most noticable around his face, he had boney cheeks and jaw, which made him look almost ill. Despite this, he prided himself on being handsome, with small lips, big brown eyes and a cute little nose, he spike up his short brown hair and tried to wear clothes that hugged him tight. Right now, he wished he'd worn something warmer, he needed some comfort, he needed a place where he could be himself, where he didn't have to try so hard, just for people to like him.

Jake was a goofball, he knew it as well as anyone, he couldn't help it, he just got so exited around people, he did and said stupid things before he could stop himself, never offensive or rude, just stupid. He would get so hyper by being around people that he could hardly contain himself, he would beam out at everyone around him, and would delight in being spoken to, but they rarely did so without him speaking to them first.

He wanted someone who he could just talk to, someone who wouldn't look bored when he spoke or find an excuse to get away from him. There wasn't really anyone, even his friends didn't seem to be able to find the time for him, with the exception of the black haired boy with blue eyes, Mark, who had arrived at the school less than half a year ago, but who had been so kind to him in that short time. Jake had few friends, genuine ones atleast. Several kids acted like they were, but would insult him when they thought he couldn't hear. Unfortunately, aswell as a photographic memory, he had exceptional hearing.

He ignored them the best he could, but he was always hurt when people didn't like him. He knew he was a pain, he could be extremely annoying, but all he ever did was try to be nice, why didn't people realise that? For some reason he just couldn't calm down, he tried his best to act normal, to be like everyone else, but he could'nt, he was desperate for freindship.

He had been ever since he'd arrived here from the orphanage. Thoughts of that dark place brought up unpleasant emotions he thought he'd put behind him. He wasn't an orphan, his parents had decided that they no longer wanted a child, and so left him at the first hellhole they could find in New Orleans. Memories flooded to him, of his parents, of the orphange he'd spent two years in, of the first time he used his powers, the time when all the trouble started. Before then he was normal, he had no odd behaviour, perhaps he was a little excitable, but in no way was he weird.

He was a junior baseball player, his schools star hitter. It was the district finals, his school was playing the reigning champions. Jake recalled the mad screams of hundreds of parents and supporters, all baying for the blood of the other team. Jake was 12, he was first up. He stood ready to bat, staring at the slightly elder boy, the Pitcher. He threw the ball, Jake swung, 'Strike One!' He'd missed! He felt a pang of panic but calmed himself. The pitcher threw again, 'Strike 2'! He hadn't even swung that time, he froze. He looked around, to his team mates seething with rage, yelling at him, he saw the crowd, urging the children on, demanding, crazed. He saw his parents, his Dad on the phone, his mother staring at her nails, both completely disinterest. He felt his body clench up, he began to panic. He couldn't fail, he'd thought, he had to hit the ball.

It went silent, the Pitcher threw the ball, Jake swung. 'Strike, Oh my god!' Jake looked around, the crowd was silent, agast at what they saw. Jake looked down, his body had moved, yet the bat hadn't swung, he couldn't see his arms, the bat was on the floor covered in goo. It took him a moment to realise, then it hit him, the goo was his arms. A clear, liquid substance had extended from his shoulders and pooled at his feet. He felt himself scream, but made no sound, before fainting.

After that it was all a blur, he remembered being in the hospital, remembered the doctor telling his parents he was a mutant. He remebered the beating when he got home, he couldn't understand it, he still didn't, it wasn't his fault after all. He remembered

being dropped off at an orphanage in the poorest part of New Orleans, where the damage of an old hurricane hadn't been repaired, even after so many years. He had begged his parents not to leave him, but they didn't care, they abandoned him with just the clothes on his back, a rucksack and his beloved goldfish, Mystery and Hunter.

His time in the orphanage was lonely, he was shunned by everyone for being a 'freak'. He'd tried to hide the fact, but somehow, they found out. Everyone he'd tried to talk to either ran away or attacked him. The adults were completely uninterested in him. He could never speak to them, he gave up trying. They just ignored him, that is, with the exception of one.

Jake pulled himself out of it. He would never allow himself to recall the torment he wanted to forget so badly. He had enough of those memories in his nightmares, he wouldn't dwell on them whilst awake. He felt a tear trickle down his cheek. He should be happy, he was safe now, Xavier and Frostman saw to that, but he could'nt stop remembering.

He wouldn't have remembered at all had it not been for his stupidity. He'd been enjoying his lunch outside with Mark and Quinn, a girl with jet black skin and wings, with an attitude as dark as her skin, the people he regarded as his bestfriends, when a couple of guys asked them if they wanted to play baseball. Mark and Quinn said yes straight away. He desperately wanted to say no, the memories being too harsh, but he didn't want to let his friends down, and so said yes.

He found himself in that familiar place once more, facing a pitcher, his team was losing and he was last, so he needed to hit the ball. Mark was on third base, another boy on fourth. If he hit the ball, they could reach home and they'd win, if not, then they'd lose. He readied himself, but as the pitcher threw the ball he froze, and the ball sailed past him without him swinging. He was yelled at by his teamates, particulary the boy on fourth base, who looked like he was going to explode.

The pitcher threw again, and again Jake froze. The other boy was yelling furiously at him. Jake took a deep breath and tried to focus. The pitcher threw, and the ball whistled past him without so much as a twitch. He heard cheers from the other team. He dropped the bat, and looked around. He saw the disappointment on his teammates faces', in particular Mark's, his heart sank.

He hadn't noticed the boy on fourth base storm towards him. Jake was grabbed by the front of his shirt and hoisted up. The boys face was bright red, he eye's ablaze with anger.

"You Idiot," He had said, "What the hell do you think your doing?"

"Get of him, back off dickwad" Quinn said, rushing over to them. "It's only a baseball game"

"Get lost" The boy replied, he had towered over Jake, obviously older. "This is between me, and the loser"

"I said, back off" Quinn was angry, which was never a good thing.

"You always have little girls fight your own battles?" The older boy mocked, not releasing his grip.

"Let go of him, Now!" Quinn yelled.

Jake watched as the boy ignored her, drawing his fist up. Jake couldn't react, he was frozen with shock and fear. He expected to feel the fist connecting with him, instead he looked up to see the boy's fist caught in mid air by a strong hand. He looked over to see a tall, heavily built boy clutching onto the other. The older boy released his grip on Jake and turned to face the other.

"Lars" Jake said weakly.

"So, you want to play hero do you" He said at Lars, Jake's close friend. "Well, why don't you try it"

The boy put his hands on Lars's chest, suddenly his friend started shaking as a powerful electric shock pulsed through his body, sending him to his knees. Suddenly the boy was entrapped in blackness as he was pulled into what appeared to be a black hole. Quinn's eyes were enraged as she used her power, engulfing the boy in blackness where he remained for several moments, suddenly the darkness faded, leaving the boy on the ground, a look of complete shock across his unconsious face.

Everyone had stared in complete shock, first a Quinn, then slowly turning to towards Jake, still on the ground from where he had been dropped. Quinn went to help up Lars, who was moaning in pain, whilst Mark had gone over to Jake, extending a hand to help him up.

"Kitchie, what happened man" Mark said without thinking. Jake looked up, tears welling in his eyes, he got up on his own and ran into the institute, desperate to be alone.

Jake had found his way onto the roof, and had stayed there all afternoon. Mark was ashamed of him, he thought, and that had hurt him more than the older boy could ever have. He should of reacted, used his powers, but he had froze, how could he be trusted on missions if he couldn't even handle a schoolyard bully. He felt tears stream down his face. He wanted to crawl up into a ball, but found he couldn't move.

"Jake, are you alright" A familiar voice said from behind him. He quickly wiped away his tears, trying not to make it obivious he was doing so, before turning and looking up with a forced smile. He saw the handsome face he was expecting, it was lined with concern and worry, not a look Jake liked to see on Mark's face.

"Im fine" He said weakly, betraying his words as a lie. Mark looked down at his freind, he'd never seen him like this, so sad and in pain. Jake, or Kitchie as he was nicknamed, was always so happy, so full of life, but now, with that unconvincing fake smile, tear soaked cheeks and red raw eyes that seemed to be so full of hurt, Mark's heart broke, something was obviously wrong, more than just being threatened by some overeacting prick.

"Jake, whats up buddy" Mark said, trying to sound comforting, not condescending like before. "You can tell me, I am your roommate after all"

"I was just worried" he replied, "About Lars, and Quinn"

"Billy's fine, It'll take more than a couple of hundred volts of electricity to hurt him," Mark said with a smile, " And after I explained what happened, how that dick threatened you and attacked Billy, Quinn got off with an hours detention for 'inproper use of her powers', Xavier was more concerned for you, he wants you to meet him tomorrow"

Jake nodded, he got up and stood in front of the other boy. In less than six months Mark had grown to match his own height, Jake was beginning to think he'd stay one inch under six feet forever.

"Im sorry Mark" He said, "I let you down, and Quinn and Lars, I'm nothing but an idiot."

Mark felt a pang of guilt, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled at him in such a way that it made Jake smile too, not a wide, over-the-top smile he normally used, but a small, genuinely happy smile.

"I don't feel let down Jake," He said softly, "I'm worried about you, I don't want to see you upset."

"I'm fine, really," Jake assured "I'm just a little overwhelmed, you know, being threatened by someone twice my size has that effect"

Mark knew that wasn't the whole truth, something had shook him up, something deep inside of him, but he did'nt want to push him, he was entitled to his secrets a much as anyone, he decided to let it lie for the time being.

"Well, I know what will sort that " he said cheerily, "a cup of hot chocolate, my treat"

Jake's big smile returned, and the two boys left the roof together.

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A/N For fans of Kitchie in the 'The Final Chapter' and 'Frozen Nightmares' I hoped you enjoyed this slightly sad first chapter, don't worry, he'll be back to his old goofy self in the next chapter, though I do plan on resolving his inner conflicts eventually. I also hoped you liked heroic Quinn, who will be back to being a Bitch soon, though not so much to Kitchie, all will be revealed.

Did you notice the goldfish, named after the fabulous and oh so kind MysteryHunter, (see what I did there), my tribute to my first ever reviewer, he has more goldfish, maybe even an aquarium, that will also house Yaoiboy, and anyone else who is nice to me.

For those of you who are new to Kitchie, thanks so much for reading this, I love you for it. I tried my hardest to be inclusive to those who have never read the other stories, please tell me If i've succeeded.

As always, please review, I'll review your stuff if you do.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thanks to everyone who supported and encouraged me, you're some of the best people I've ever met over the internet. A big thank you go's to the creator of 'Caim', err, also called Caim, for letting me use his character. I don't need to say thank you to Yaoiboy167 and Mystery Hunter, I've done so sooo many times already, but thank you anyway. Also, OCs are welcome, X-men, students, teachers, villains, anyone. Right then, to the chapter, enjoy...

XXx

Jake sat listening to the sound of the tall grandfather clock standing proudly at the far wall of Xavier's office. The room was surprisingly small, but still seemed magnificent. Old mahogany bookcases lined the walls along the door and left side, full of books. Most of them look so ancient, Jake thought. In the centre of the left-side wall a great fireplace quietly burnt, warming the room comfortably. A large painting of Xavier in his youth stood above it and Jake noticed that it depicted him standing, wearing some sort of soldier's uniform.

The right-side wall was lined with large windows, casting a great deal of light into the room, even on a cloudy day like today. Suits of armor stood guard in the corners of the room, adorned with sword and shield bearing a crest of a lion. The most beautiful item in the room was easily the large oak desk that dominated the space. It was littered with papers scattered messily across it, whilst a small laptop sat to one side on it, looking out of place surrounded by the all antiquities.

Jake sat opposite that desk in a large comfortable chair, waiting anxiously for his old, kind headmaster to arrive. Behind the desk his teacher Mrs. Munroe waited patiently. She was his History teacher, but he also knew she was generally in charge of the teaching side of the Institute and of the well being of the students. He tried to avoid eye contact with her, but made a few quick glances. She smiled warmly at him, he noted, but she also looked concerned. They remained in silence as the grandfather clock ticked behind her. Jake had considered making conversation, but remarkably, he found he had nothing to say. In truth he was scared of what was about to happen. He knew they would try to ask questions about his feelings and bring up his past but he didn't want to think about those things yet alone talk about them.

The door opened quietly and the faint buzzing of an electric motor on his wheelchair made it obvious that it was Xavier. He rolled quietly to behind the desk next to Mrs. Munroe.

"I'm sorry for being late, I was held up," he said with a smile. "Hello Jake, how are you?"

The first question he was dreading. Jake knew Xavier could read minds, though he didn't know how it worked exactly, but he was always afraid to lie to the old man. "I'm fine Sir," he replied nervously.

"We haven't spoken much these last few months," Xavier said kindly. "Have you settled in well?" Jake just nodded.

"From what I here you are rather friendly," Xavier said. "Have you made a lot of friends?" Jake paused, he knew a lot of people were fond of him, but could he class them as friends? He decided to go with the easy answer.

"Yes sir," he said.

"Good, who are they?" Xavier asked. Jake realized he wasn't going to get away with an easy time. He paused again, trying to think of the people he could name as his friends: Mark, Quinn, Lars, and a boy called Caim sprung to mind, but apart from that, he struggled to think of anyone who, if asked, would say they thought he was their friend. There were a few people who might say so, but he was unsure. He was about to speak when he was cut off by Xavier.

"It's Ok, from what I understand your good friends with Mr. Rivers," Xavier said. "and the young lady Miss. Morr?"

"Yes sir," Jake replied, perking up a bit.

"What are they like?" Xavier asked.

"They're cool, Marks really friendly and kind, and easy to talk to. We like similar stuff; I mean music sport and stuff like that," Jake said happily with one breath. "Quinn's really nice; we help each other with homework and in class. People think she's mean but she isn't, she just gets upset easily. They're both really easy to get along with and they find the time to talk to me."

"And the others don't find the time?" Mrs. Munroe asked softly, speaking for the first time. Jake had thrown himself in it; he'd spoken without thinking again.

"Not really no," Jake replied quietly.

"And why is that?" Xavier asked.

"I don't know," Jake said coyly, staring down at his hands. "I guess people find me annoying."

"Why do you say that?" Xavier asked with slight concern in his voice.

"I get excited a lot, some people think I talk too much," Jake admitted.

"Who?" Xavier asked.

"I don't know… people," Jake replied, shrugging slightly. He was beginning to feel the tightness in his throat that told him he was close to crying.

"How does that make you feel?" Mrs. Munroe asked, the second question he was dreading.

"I don't mind, I guess," Jake mumbled, but then he paused. Taking a breath he admitted: "Kind of sad sometimes,"

"Have you told your friends how you feel?" Xavier asked.

"No," Jake replied, hoping desperately that they'd change the subject. As if he knew what Jake was thinking Xavier didn't continue. He paused for a moment.

"Why don't you tell me what happened yesterday afternoon," he said. "From your perspective."

Jake reluctantly described the events: the baseball game and the boy and how Lars and Quinn stepped in to help. He kept it brief, trying not to say how he felt. When he was finished he sat and looked down at his hands again. He was still ashamed of himself for being so weak.

"Why did you not use your powers?" Xavier asked softly after a brief pause, not being accusatory or pressuring.

"I panicked I guess," Jake said. "I didn't think."

"Were you perhaps distracted by something else?" Mrs. Munroe asked.

"Ma'am?" Jake asked, unsure.

"Was there something that caused you to lose focus?" Xavier offered. "The same thing that caused you to not swing?"

"Err, I haven't played baseball in a while," Jake said slowly. "Not since the day I first used my powers."

"And when you played yesterday it brought back memories of that day," Xavier said, and it was less of a question and more of a statement. "Do those memories always affect you?"

"I guess," Jake said.

"In what way?" Xavier asked. That was the hardest question Jake had ever heard. Jake only shrugged, unable to answer properly.

"Hmmn, do you think that they are the reason behind your friendliness?" Xavier asked. Jake shrugged again. Thoughts of the orphanage rushed to his mind - the loneliness and the isolation.

"Perhaps you wish to seek approval because of the lack of friendship and affection at the orphanage in New Orleans," Xavier helped. Jake looked up, an expression close to anger on his face. He realized his thoughts about the orphanage had been read, something he did not want to be heard by anyone. Xavier looked alarmed and raised his hand in a form of apology.

"Please, Jake, understand, we're not here to hurt you," Xavier said quietly, his voice kind and gentle. "We only want to help. Some of the things that have happened are understandably hard to come to terms with, but you need to face up to them. We are here to help, but really your friends are the ones who will help you most. They will understand what you have been through; they have endured similar circumstances, and will be more than happy to listen. Friends are, after all, the greatest asset we have. The powers of the most powerful mutants pale in comparison"

Jake nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed by what was being said. Xavier smiled and signaled he could leave. Jake promptly got up and nodded thanks to both of them before rushing out of the door. He stepped into a busy corridor to find that the lunch period had just started. Jake decided to go find his friends and began weaving through the crowds. One advantage of being skinny was that he could fit in tight spaces, such as between groups of people who seem oblivious to the people around them. Another is that he could avoid smaller children who didn't move to avoid walking into the bigger kids despite the obvious consequences. No one seemed to notice Jake as he ducked and dived his way through the hordes of people, heading straight to the south recreation room, where he and his friends usually hung out.

The room was one of the four living rooms inside the Institute. It was a large room filled with games consoles and places to chill out. It was furthest from the dining room, so was the least crowded during lunch, which suited Quinn and Caim. They'd get food from the various vendors in the room, which didn't just serve junk food but fruit and sandwiches. When Jake got there it was virtually deserted except for a couple of kids who were playing video games around a widescreen television. A few more were playing table tennis in the far corner.

Looking round he saw Mark quietly reading what appeared to be Harry Potter on one of the long plush couches. Jake's face lit up and he smiled widely as he went over to him. Mark looked up and smiled back warmly, momentarily returning to his book to finish the paragraph before closing it.

"Hey Kitchie," he greeted. "You Ok?"

"Yeah," Jake said, brushing the question off. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Quinn's still in detention and Lars is in the gym, again," Mark answered with a slight roll of his eyes. "And I don't know where Caim is, probably found somewhere quiet." Caim tended to shy away from people. He didn't like crowds much, but would talk to Jake and they had become close friends, despite being virtually opposite personalities.

"It looks like it's just you and me for the time being," Mark said jokingly. Jake quite liked being alone with Mark, they got along fine without other people. Jake sat down opposite him, still smiling happily.

"What you reading?" Jake asked.

"Prisoner of Azkaban," Mark replied casually.

"Is that the one with the werewolf?" Jake asked enthusiastically. He already knew the answer but wanted to start a conversation they both liked.

"Yeah," Mark said. "The movie was a little disappointing in my opinion but the book is great. I can lend it you sometime if you like?"

Jake didn't have the patience to read a book like that, but nodded enthusiastically anyway. As continued talking the topic changed to books in general and then authors. Jake found out Mark was a fan of fantasy novels in general, which allowed Jake to recite a list of popular novels. Some of them Mark had never heard of and intended to find out more about.

"Oh, did you hear?" Mark asked once Jake finished. "Hollander is ten points ahead of Trawman, it looks like he's going to end up winning for sure." Francis Hollander was a US senator running for president. He was staunch anti-mutant and had run a campaign blaming them for everything that was wrong in America. His rival, Jillian Trawman, hadn't help matters when she was found to be having an affair, and was rigorously denying it, despite video evidence of her kissing a man. The whole Institute was watching what was happening with alarm; they thought this sort of thing was behind them.

"I don't understand why people listen to him," Jake said. "He's a horrible person, he spits and shouts and rants about things a few mutants did like we're all to blame. Why doesn't anyone challenge him? The press is giving him a free ride! Mutants are trying to fit in most places, integrating. All people like him do is drive them to the edges of society."

"Exactly, but voters are always willing to listen to people who have easy solutions," Mark explained. "People look to Hollander, believing he's got the answers when in truth all he has is hate"

Both boys quietly agreed. If the students at the Institute knew one thing it was politics. It was an important part of being a mutant, understanding different views and knowing the best ways to challenge prejudice. Xavier built the school to give mutants a chance to escape from the judgment of ignorant people. They hoped to show the world mutants were a force for good, not inherently evil or something to be feared.

"Why do people judge others by groups?" Jake asked. "Race, religion, country, politics, sexuality, why don't people look at the person instead of the label?" Jake seemed rather passionate about it all. Mark hadn't noticed the slight pause at 'sexuality', but saying it made Jake's heart skip a beat. He found he got shy at talking about it.

Both boys looked up to see Quinn bounding in looking rather miserable. They ventured smiles but found she didn't return them. She slumped down on the couch near Mark and crossed her arms.

"Humph," she moaned.

"Have you had fun?" Mark asked happily.

"No I haven't," she snapped. "They got me picking up trash! Argh! If I see one more person throw a sweet wrapper on the floor just to spite me I'm going to go at them with a chainsaw!" Mark and Jake glanced at each other, both sharing the image of Quinn in overalls going around shouting at litterers. They burst out laughing, which made Quinn even angrier.

"What's so funny?" she yelled, but the boys continued to laugh, which caused Quinn to scorn at them wildly.

"Sorry Quinn," Jake laughed, calming down. "It's my fault."

"No it's not," she said, her voice a little softer. "It was that moron who started picking on you."

Quinn had a strange relationship with Jake: he was the only person she never got particularly mad at, despite being exactly the sort of person she normally would hate. She calmed down and got up to go to the vendor. She brought back food for all of them and placed it on the table.

"Hold on 'mare, you did washed your hands didn't you?" Mark said mockingly.

"'Course I did idiot, but you don't have to eat it if you don't want," Quinn retorted.

They started eating quietly; Jake took an apple, a pear, a banana and a chocolate bar, full of sugar, as was normal. Jake was hyperactive naturally, and he was overly exited by being around people. He also loved all fruit and craved chocolate and candy. The result was that he was on a near permant sugar high. His friends didn't seem to mind, Kitchie wasn't being Kitchie without his mad behavior.

"We have Foreign Studies after lunch, don't we," Kitchie confirmed in between eating the pear and the banana. "I like that lesson, there are so many interesting places around the world. I hope I can see some of those places; China and Japan look so interesting. Ooh and Europe, England and France and Germany, oh and Poland, and Russia and Turkey. Oh and Egypt! Mrs. Munroe is from there. And Kenya and Congo and South Africa. Oh and Canada, that looks cool, it has those people in the red coats on horses, and they have cool accents. I once met a Canadian man; he finished every sentence with the word 'Eh'."

"Kitchie, we understand, you want to see a lot of places," Mark said grinning. "We understood at the phrase 'I hope I can see some of those places'. Oh, and Canada's probably nothing like you think. Beside's, it would be too cold for you, you'd freeze up."

"I only freeze up when I'm in my gluey form," Kitchie corrected. "Though you're probably right, I find New England too cold, being from New Orleans, though I never got the accent, though that's probably because I came from a rich family."

"I never knew that," Mark noted. "What'd your folks do for a living?"

"Err, my pa' was a CEO at some company," Jake replied, looking away uncomfortably. Mark and Quinn guessed thinking of his parents brought back bad memories and decided to change the subject quickly.

"I'd like to visit Brazil one day, explore the Rainforest," Mark told them. Jake perked back up straight away. "What about you Quinn?" he asked.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it," she replied. "Seeing places doesn't really interest me, I like to do things. If that makes sense."

"You prefer action to standing around looking at monuments and famous places?" Jake offered. Quinn nodded, giving him a slight smile. Then something caught Mark's eye that made the others look up. Lars had entered the room, looking thoroughly worn out. Sweat still lined his forehead and dripped down along his finely chiseled face and his short black hair was messy. He was wearing a tight black shirt and knee high shorts which made Jake's heart skip a beat. He found himself gawping and forced his gaze away, his cheeks going red from embarrassment. The others greeted Lars with smiles, and Jake forced his gaze back and smiled at him. Lars responded with a nod and slight smile before casually sitting down on the couch next to Quinn.

"Hey," he greeted. "You OK Kitchie, what'd Xavier say?"

"Not much, just wanted to know what happened," he answered.

"What did happen?" Quinn asked. Jake tried to hide his wince but they all noticed.

"I don't know, I guess I've never been very good at baseball-" Kitchie said.

"That's not true, you told us that you were once the star hitter at your school," Lars interrupted, and Jake looked away cringing. Mark threw the others a glare to say 'drop it', and with that they sat in an awkward silence for several minutes. They didn't notice the slim, long haired boy approaching with a slight smile. Jake looked up and offered a slight smile when he saw Caim, who took a seat a short distance from the others. The boy frowned at the silence, he liked quiet normally but this was uncomfortable.

Mark quietly sat watching Kitchie, trying to fathom some clues as to what was wrong. Noticing Caim he looked up to give him a smile, and noticed the look of unease on his face. He smiled at him, and Caim gave a small smile in reply.

"Hi Caim, you OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, you?" Caim replied quietly, an almost automatic response.

"Good." Mark found his conversational abilities had left him and he desperately tried to come up with something to say.

"Did you forget you were meant to be helping me with my Math," Caim asked timidly.

"Err, oh yeah," Mark said dumbly, and the others laughed. The bell rang to signal the end of lunch and they got up in unison. Mark, Jake, and Quinn headed towards their lesson, still in silence. Jake hadn't smiled yet, and the others were becoming concerned. He stopped suddenly.

"I've been thinking," he finally said. "Something Xavier said: 'Friends are the greatest asset we have. The powers of the most powerful mutant pale in comparison'." He paused. "It made me think how lucky I am to have you guys."

Mark smiled at his friend, while Quinn let out a laugh. "Sorry," she said. "But that was so corny."

The three of them laughed and carried on to their lesson.

XXx

A/N In the next chapter they use their powers, and we see some of the original X-men yay. Please review. I'm trying to make happier chapters, I'm a happy person, so happy, yet I write sad stuff for some reason. We see why Quinn acts the way she does towards Jake later on, the reason is quite touching, at least I think it is. Touching and cheesy are the same to me. I'm still figuring out what will happen, once I do, I'll continue.


	3. Chapter 3

Jake lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was barely five a.m. yet he was wide awake and not tired in the slightest. In truth he never slept well, his dreams made doing so hard. Mark was snoring quietly on the other side of the room, seemingly content. Jake looked over and studied his roommate. Jake found something stirring in him, it was a strange and unfamiliar feeling and he suppressed it. Something was wrong with him, he was sure of it. He had strange feelings for certain friends, male friends, that he was thought were not natural.

Kitchie looked again at Mark sleeping soundly. The boy was easily Jake's best friend. The two never had any problems with one another, but Jake felt something more. He couldn't help but admit he liked Marks eyes, a beautiful shade of dark blue, almost black. His soft hair fell down to just above his shoulders and would fall across his handsome face. His nose was the perfect length and width compared the rest of his features, with full light red lips, and thin cheeks. He was well built, at least more so than Jake was. He seemed to be smiling in his sleep, and Jake found himself smiling too. Jake sat up, deciding it was best to try and do something rather than lying in bed with nothing but his thoughts.

He stood up and stretched out as quietly as possible before tiptoeing into the bathroom. It was a large room with marble and stone fixtures and shiny steel fittings. Jake rinsed his face in the sink basin before stripping off his pajama bottoms and loose shirt. He stepped into the shower and washed himself with his lemon scented soap and shampoo under lukewarm water. Afterwards he wrapped a towel round himself and headed back into his room and raided his wardrobe for something decent. He settled on a tight fitting red T-shirt, skinny jeans, and blue trainers. Finally he took the time to style his hair, spiking it upwards with his hair gel in front of a mirror. Once he was happy, he left the room and entered the deserted corridor outside.

The quiet sound of snoring echoed down the dark hall. It was still dark outside and so Jake had to navigate his way down the corridor unable to see clearly. The halls were deserted; he was often the first one up in the morning. He'd take a seat in the kitchen and wait for the other early risers. Caim was often one of them and it was at this time they would have their most interesting conversations. As it was when Jake wasn't on a sugar high and Caim was too groggy to be self conscious. Descending a flight of stairs, he found that the door to the kitchen door was already open and the light was on. Intrigued he peaked round the corner.

He heard voices long before he saw anyone, two distinct voices, a man and a woman's. They spoke in hushed voices due to the fact they didn't think anyone was listening, suggesting they were talking about something Jake shouldn't hear. But curiosity got the better of him and he closed in further to try and hear what was being said. Inside the room the man and woman sat around the far end of the table. Jake recognized the woman: she was Natasha Dugan, his X-Men teacher. The woman was in her mid twenties with long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail. She wasn't wearing her usual smart clothing; instead she wore a pair of jeans and a sweater over a T-shirt. Jake didn't recognize the man, He was covered in head to toe in blue fur and he was heavily built with feline facial features, sharp teeth and claws.

"- if she is involved then it will mean's that our suspicions are correct," the man said.

"But why" Mrs. Dugan replied. "It doesn't make sense for Mystique join with-" A look from the man told her not to say anymore.

"Alas, it seems we are not having this conversation in private any longer," he said before peering round and looking directly at the boy at the door. Surprised, Jake stepped back and tripped over his own feet and fell hard onto his rump. He let out a sharp cry as sudden pain shot up his spine, before looking up and finding a furry blue hand hovering above his head. He took it and found himself lifted up without any effort. He was placed gently on his feet and was greeted by a smile from both of the adults.

"Hello there young sir," the man said. "And who might you be?" Jake was too busy staring in awe to answer, the man was truly remarkable. His voice was smooth and gentle and well spoken, in complete contrast to his monstrous appearance.

"Hello Jake," Mrs. Dugan said from behind them. "Don't be alarmed by my friend's appearance, Hank is more likely to talk you to death than hurt you." Hank shot her a look of mock annoyance which barely masked his grinning, whilst she simply smiled warmly.

"Are you hungry Jake?" she continued. "I suspect you were wanting some breakfast."

"Yes Ma'am," he replied tentatively before following the others back into the kitchen. He took his usual spot at the corner of the island and watched as Mrs. Dugan busily prepared breakfast. All he had to do was simply touch the various appliances and they would come to life as though she had spoke to them. In half the time it would normally take Jake to make some toast and a hot chocolate she had prepared a small banquet for the three of them. Jake's plate was piled high with bacon, eggs, toast and baked beans, while a second plate had pancakes drizzled in syrup and sugared waffles in honey. It was far too much for a normal person, yet alone Jake. He didn't eat large meals and rarely had things quite so fattening, but he gave it a go none the less. He tucked in to his bacon and eggs while the others started talking again.

"When did you say Logan will be back?" Mrs. Dugan asked.

"A few weeks, he and Jubilee are investigating the link between you-know-who and you-know-what," he said, before glancing at Jake with a slight smile. He continued: "So Jake how is life here at the institute?" Jake looked up, realizing he was being spoken to.

"Sir?" he asked nervously.

"Please, call me Hank," he corrected. "What is it like here for you, are you settling in?"

"Yes sir, it's fantastic here," Jake answered.

"Good." Hank smiled. "And how have you found your X-Men training." Jake looked nervously to Mrs. Dugan, hoping she would answer for him: she was the head of his team so she knew how well he was doing better than he did.

"Err, good sir, I mean Hank," he said, hoping Mrs. Dugan wouldn't contradict him. She smiled and gave a slight nod of assurance. She and Hank returned to their conversation and Jake gave up listening after a while as they were talking about things he didn't have a clue about. He continued to eat his huge breakfast, content to let their conversation fade to background noise. He'd barely eaten any of his savory plate and only half of his sweet stuffs when he pushed the plates away, completely full.

"Have you finished?" Hank asked.

"That he means is can he have the rest?" Mrs. Dugan said patronizingly. Hank shot him a genuinely annoyed look while she grinned teasingly at him.

"Sure Mr. Hank, I can't eat anymore," Jake replied. The others laughed softly as Hank took Jake's plates and began devouring the food. Jake saw someone come in out of the corner of his eye and looked up to see Lars smiling at him as he poured himself some coffee. Jake beamed back as the boy took a seat next to him. Lars greeted the other two with a smile, and they both smiled back before continuing their conversation.

"I thought I'd find you in here," the taller boy said. "I was wondering if you wanted to train with me before classes."

"Erm, yeah sure," Jake said enthusiastically. Lars never normally trained with him. They would run together sometimes but Jake didn't have the strength to match his friend.

"Good, I have just the place in mind," he said before he gulped down his coffee. He jumped off his stool and headed for the door and Jake followed a moment later. He said goodbye to Mrs. Dugan and Hank and thanked them for the breakfast before following his friend through the corridors of the Institute. Once outside they turned and headed for the forests that surrounded the building. The sun had yet to come up and the twilight cast an eerie gray shadow over them. Jake felt the chill of the cold air around him and hugged himself tightly for warmth, regretting he hadn't put something warmer on. They walked deep into the forest, maintaining a brisk pace until they came into small clearing, far out of the view of any prying eyes.

"Here we are," Lars said.

"Why didn't we go to the gym?" Jake asked, confused and a little out of breath.

"Because they don't let you practice using you powers in the gym," Lars stated. "You need to be out of the way to do that."

"Use your powers?" Jake asked. "But isn't that what the Danger Room is for?"

"You can't expect to develop your powers just be practicing in the Danger Room," Lars explained. "It's like fitness training, you can't achieve a strong physique just from want you learn in gym classes, you've got to put in a lot of practice yourself."

Still not convinced, Jake simply nodded as Lars to up a position. The clearing was filled with large boulders that had found their way down from the mountains. Lars stood a few feet away from one of them and braced himself. He outstretched both his arms and took a deep breath. Jake felt the ground tremor as a partially visible shockwave erupted from his arms and shattered the boulder. Lars's body shook with tension as the recoil from the shockwave pulsed through his body painfully. There was a reason behind his muscular frame: without it he wouldn't be able to take that strain exerted on his body when he used his powers. Having a figure like Jake's would probably kill him.

Lars looked over at Jake enthusiastically who reluctantly stepped forward to face one of the boulders. He looked back at Lars, who smiled in encouragement. Jake sighed and stood ready. He willed his powers forward and a familiar yet odd sensation gripped him. His boy began to lose its solid form and began to become transparent. In a few seconds his body had transformed into a clear liquid. He had retained his human shape, he looked just like Jake, only he was see-through. He smiled happily, for some reason he always enjoyed being in this form, he felt free. Testing himself like he would normally, he extended out his arm and it stretched out for several meters until his reached one of the boulders. His transparent hand swelled in size and engulfed the boulder, around two meters in size, and lifted it up off the ground with little effort and hurtled it high above them. Lars let of another tremendous shockwave and it shattered in mid air.

Jake brought his arm back to its ordinary size and extended the other out. This time it didn't keep its normal shape, instead it molded into the shape of a club. It solidified into a rock solid mass and began to sway in the air before slamming down onto another boulder, breaking it into pieces with a large crack. He repeated the same action on another boulder, before changing the shape of his hand to a sharp solid spike and ripping through several boulders and trees. He hadn't noticed that Lars was studying him, watching as Jake deftly cleaved through rock and wood while he analyzed his movements and reactions.

Jake brought his arm back again and began to flex and stretch himself in various positions. He enjoyed being so free. In this form he felt he wasn't bound by the restrictions of skin and bone. He arched his back until the top of his head touched the floor, all the while keeping his feet firmly on the ground, and extended his arms to wrap around his shins. He laughed to himself as he stood up and decided to see what other strange shapes he could form.

With a big grin he stretched both legs over his head while supporting himself on his arms. Suddenly his head disappeared into his body, at the same time his feet merged together and expanded to reform his face. He noticed Lars wasn't there and a sudden pang of fear hit where his stomach would normally be. He suddenly lost his solid form and dropped into a puddle on the floor. A second later he reformed into his normal shape and turned back to flesh and blood. Scanning the clearing, he looked to see where Lars and got to. He noticed that they had wrecked the place; it looked like a warzone, with rubble and bits of shattered trees littering the small grassy field. Jake began to panic as he realized Lars wasn't in the clearing, beginning to fear he had done something to upset him. He was about to shout out when Lars's voice came from behind him.

"I forgot to fill up my water bottle," he said as if sensing Jake's panicking. "So I decided to go fill it from the stream. The water is perfectly clean here, its mountain water." Lars took a long drink and sat on the long grass, his legs crossed. Jake's smile quickly returned and he took a seat on a surviving boulder opposite his friend.

"I've always wanted to ask you Kitchie," Lars started. "How do you keep yourself together, you know, like a human and not just a puddle on the floor?"

"I don't know, I just do," Kitchie replied. "It's like moving your arm or holding up your head, you don't have to think about doing it you just do. I can make myself as solid as a rock or as soft as water, but I can't explain how"

"Fair enough," Lars continued. "Do you have to keep your human form or can you make yourself into others things, like animals or machines?"

"I don't know," Jake answered honestly.

"You never tried?" Lars wondered.

"Never really thought about it. I can't make things that have a greater mass than me," Jake said "I can stretch myself out but not more than a dozen meters, so I might be able to form a lion or something. But something like an elephant would be beyond me."

"Oh," Lars said, interested, before his attention turned to the something else. "Kitch', I don't want to upset you or anything, but I want to know, how come you didn't use your powers on that punk the other day? From what I saw today you could have kicked the crap out of him."

Jake grimaced but didn't try to avoid answering the question, he was still thinking about what Xavier said to him. He trusted Lars as much as he trusted Mark or Quinn. He decided that he was fine to open up to as the boy.

"I was scared," Jake admitted. "Not so much of the guy though. The whole situation reminded me of my past."

"Oh," Lars said, surprised. "Why, what happened to you?"

"When I was at the orphanage, some of the other kids used to-" Jake found the words were uncomfortable. "-hurt me. They found out I was a mutant and made my life hell."

"I see," Lars said.

"They'd gang up on me," Jake continued, his eyes welling up. "Everyday after school they would chase me and attack me; punch, kick, punch. Afterwards they'd spit on me, and call me a freak and a monster. I tried to go to the adults but they ignored me, and if I ever used my powers I'd be thrown out onto the street."

"Kitch', that's all in the past," Lars told him. "Let go and forget about them. You'll never be a good X-Man if you freeze every time something brings up a bad memory."

Jake said nothing. He couldn't move, but a part of him wanted to stand up and yell 'That's what I've been trying to do!', but he couldn't help but feel that Lars was right. He was being weak, Jake thought; he should be able to get over this stuff. Mark and Quinn did after all.

Lars got up and checked his watch. "We need to get back, the others will be wondering where we are."

"Okay," Jake said, forcing back any tears before getting up and following his friend as they headed back through the forest in silence. Jake hadn't managed to regain his smile, instead he looked down at his feet deep in thought. Xavier had been wrong, he'd opened up and felt no better for it, if any thing he felt worse. Now it felt like Lars had lost some respect for him. His friend tried to mask it but he had been rather cold about what he had said.

When they returned to the institute the morning sun was high above them and children were already playing games outside. Jake kept his eyes down at his feet. He felt two hands grip both his shoulders and jumped up, startled. He looked to see the people responsible and saw two familiar faces staring at him.

"Hey Kitch', you okay?" Quinn asked with a slight grin. That meant she was in a good mood, Jake thought. Mark looked worried again, and it was not a look Jake liked to see on his face, it made him look older and sad.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jake replied, unconvincingly. The awkward, fake smile had returned and both his friends looked to each other, concerned. Jake brushed their looks off and continued. "I'm just tired, I've been training with Lars."

"Billy?" Quinn asked, surprised, calling him by his first name rather than the name he preferred to be called by.

"Yeah, he was here a second ago," Jake said, looking around for his friend who had disappeared again. "He must have gone inside, probably to the gym for another workout. Is it healthy to exercise that much? I mean, I know that it's good for you and everything but too much of anything is not healthy right?" His friends smiled, he was talking like he normally did which was a good sign, they thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you guys," Jake continued. "Mrs. Dugan was in the kitchen when I got up this morning and apparently she had been on some kind of mission. Did you know about that?"

Both shrugged a reply and started walking towards the main building.

"I thought we were her X-Men team, why weren't we told about it?" Jake added, falling into step next to Mark "Oh and she was with a man, but not just any man, a blue man covered in fur with claws and pointy teeth." He made claws with his hands and bared his teeth, which earned him a laugh from both his friends. "Anyway they were talking about someone called Mystique and how she was helping someone who she wouldn't normally work with. Oh and it must be important because someone called Logan and some other X-Men are investigating it as well. What could be so important that it has two X-Men teams working on it, I mean, it's got to be really important for something to have one, so two would be, like, uber important."

"We don't know what the X-Men are doing, we never get told anything," Quinn said.

"That's because we're the youngest team I guess," Mark replied. "They'll tell us these things when we're ready,"

"The wise words of Sensei Mark," Quinn mocked jokingly. "A.k.a, Mark the Ass Kisser."

"Yeah well, kissing asses keeps me out of litter picking," Mark retorted. "That said, you're going to have plenty of experience for your future employment."

"Unlike you, because if you carry on you won't have a future beyond the next ten seconds," Quinn shot back.

"Litter pickers are paid a decent amount, more than people think," Jake said matter-of-factly. The others turned to him, surprised that he got involved in one of their arguments. He stared back innocently with a genuine smile.

"What? They do," he asserted. The three of them burst into laughter as they entered the Institute, unaware that they were being observed as they did so.

Lars stood in the shadows, quietly watching as the three people he had fooled into thinking he was their friend, they had no idea what was happening happily oblivious to the darkness that surrounds them. He thought how easy it would be to kill them and be done with it, but he couldn't, he had a mission to complete.

Xxx

A/N Thanks to Stormynightengale, who is the creator of Mrs. Dugan, a.k.a Hack. Sorry I've taken so long to put anything up, computer troubles again. That chapter was long I know, I wanted to add more but I had to stop myself. I have a truly epic plot in mind for this story, I have a feeling it's going to take me a while. Thanks to everyone who's supporting me, you will be rewarded. I'm going straight to writing chapter 4, it's going to be an all-nighter for me I think.


	4. Chapter 4

The lounge was practically deserted as Jake entered for their free time after classes, with the exception of Mark, Quinn and Caim, who were sat around the sofa watching TV, talking quietly. Mark and Quinn were sitting like they usually did, on opposite ends of the couch. Jake didn't understand the relationship they had, they would argue and fall out a lot, but never over anything important. They obviously liked one another, as neither would keep the fact they disliked someone a secret, the difference being Mark wouldn't nearly kill the person in the process. Caim sat quietly on the floor next to Quinn. The boy was peculiar, he never wore shoes, disliked being around people and preferred to sit on the floor, but he was the sort of person Jake felt he could trust absolutely.

Jake's big smile had returned, he'd cheered up since the morning and had over done the sugary treats during lunch. The idea of spending an afternoon with his friends made him feel giddy with excitement. Quinn turned and saw Jake approaching and smiled slightly. Jake jumped over the sofa and landed between Quinn and Mark, waving frantically. Mark smiled happily and waved back, whilst Caim and Quinn simply smiled.

"What you watching?" Jake asked, but continued before anyone could answer. "Oooh, a soap opera, my favorite kind of show, behind cartoons, documentaries, action, science fiction and drama."

"There isn't much else other than that," Mark said with a grin. "Other than The News I guess."

"Oh, I like news as well," Jake replied happily.

"I didn't think you like TV, you don't normally watch it," Mark said.

"I guess my attention span isn't long enough." Jake replied with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean I don't like it when I watch it."

"It's Kitchie; there isn't much he doesn't like," Quinn said to Mark before turning to Jake. "Apart from geography"

Jake had fallen asleep during his geography class that morning, the third time he had done so in the last month. He enjoyed the lesson, but found the pace they went at too slow, and also found the teacher, Mr. Rasputin, really boring. He would recite whole chapters of the text book in a monotone voice for the whole lesson. Jake had read the textbook six times already, and could recite it himself word for word. He shrugged off Quinn's comment and turned back to watching the soap.

He began his usual habit of asking questions such as, "Who's he?", "Why did she do that?", "Is he married to her?" while his friends calmly answered the best they could. Mark's patience was steadily being worn away, and so rather than getting annoyed he changed the subject.

"Did you know that Captain Britain the Second is resurrecting team Excalibur?" he asked, plucking a random piece of information from his head.

"Captain who?" Quinn said bemused.

"He's like Captain America, but not as famous," Mark answered. "His dad was the original; he's carrying on what he started."

"Sounds like a weirdo to me," Quinn said.

"I think I heard that Mr. Rasputin and Miss. Pryce were part of Excalibur," Jake offered.

"Is there a Captain France too? I suppose he would be called Capitaine François," Quinn mocked.

"No, just America and Britain I thin-" Mark said, but he was interrupted by another student who was trying to speak to them. He was younger than them, with freckles and curly brown hair. He looked nervous at having to talk to older kids. Jake offered an even friendlier smile to the boy but it had no effect.

"Err, excuse me, sorry to bother you," he said in a squeaky wavering voice. "Mr. Summers wants you to go to the briefing room in the basement." The boy didn't wait to see if the message was understood, he scurried off as soon as he had finished, practically sprinting out of the door.

"Were we that annoying when we were that small?" Quinn asked.

"We might have been, but by that age you were probably already a psycho," Mark retorted and the two exchanged fake angry glares.

"What could this be about?" Caim said quietly.

"Only one way to find out," Mark said as he got up. The others followed shortly after and they headed for the nearest access to the basement. Jake's mind was spinning; he wondered what the leader of the X-Men could possibly want with them. They were the youngest members of the X-Men and had never been on a real mission. A glimmer of hope lit up in Jake's mind, could they be finally being sent on a mission? But Jake doubted it; it was probably a drill or a surprise training exercise. The faces of the others told him they thought the same thing, they looked like they were more annoyed at being dragged out of their free time than excited at the possibility of some action.

They walked quietly through a corridor; it was deserted but the sound of children playing echoed down it. The four of them stopped in front of a bare wall, it was the only section not covered in paintings or trophies. Quinn pressed a concealed switch beneath the frame of a picture next to it and the wall beginner to move. It opened up to reveal a small elevator, its metallic walls in sharp contrast to the wood of the main building. The four stepped inside and descended into the basement. Stepping into the hallway they stopped for a moment, taking in the almost alien feel of it. The corridor was made from the same metal as the elevator, and the sweet smell of pine and the dusty feel of upstairs were replaced by a sterile ambience.

They made their way to the briefing room. They'd been there only once, when they first joined the X-Men, and their time in the basement besides that had mostly been spent in the Danger Room, training in simulated battles or learning various martial arts. When they entered, Mr. Summers was standing with Mrs. Dugan and Hank; the three of them were inspecting a large holographic map of the globe. It was dotted with red markers, one of which was highlighting Las Vegas, which had been enlarged to give them a better view of the city. Mr. Summers turned to greet the four of them. He was older than they were, in his mid-twenties, and held an air of authority when saw him command the respect of the students. The exception being Quinn, who thought he was an arrogant prick.

Jake noticed that all the adults were wearing black and yellow uniforms, and he realized that this was no fake drill.

"Team Seven, good, you have arrived," Scott said formally. Jake noticed out of the corner of his vision that Quinn had rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance. "We have a matter that requires the attention of the X-Men, and it has been decided that you should deal with it. No other X-Men teams are available, and the matter needs to be addressed immediately. Despite your lack of field training, it has been decided you are ready to undertake this task." The four teens visibly perked up, excitement beginning to build as they realized that this might not be a ruse.

"A fellow X-Men in Las Vegas has requested our assistance. Apparently she has become separated and needs extraction," Mr. Summers continued. "You, your team leader Hack, along with Beast and I, are to provide that assistance. She holds precious information that is vital to our operations."

"What kind of information?" Quinn interrupted. The others glared at her in shock but she ignored them.

"That information is on a need-to-know basis," Scott replied, which visibly annoyed Quinn, but Mr. Summers ignore her.

"We leave in thirty minutes. Get suited up and prepared," he said. Then, adding as they moved off, "Good luck."

Twenty minutes later the four had silently dressed in their own uniforms and were waiting anxiously in the briefing room for the three adults to finish their preparation. Jake tugged at his tight fitting clothing, uncomfortable that it showed every bump and bulge on his body. He looked at the others, Mark and Caim wore similar uniforms, but they looked so much better as it flattered their more muscular frames.

Mark's uniform differed to Jake's and Caim's in that it was short sleeved and v-necked, and he also wore a black mask. Caim still wore his gloves, but his uniform didn't hide the fact his body was covered in tattoos. The boy was a little shorter that Mark and Jake, but he looked older. His face lacked Mark's boyish features and his body looked more developed than Jake's. He ran a hand through his black hair and noticed Jake was looking at him. Jake diverted his attention to Quinn, who looked rather unhappy at having to wear what she considered was the ridiculous uniform. Jake thought she looked good, it showed off her curves well, though like Jake it showed how skinny she was. Jake found himself taken aback at the sight of her. She wasn't wearing the device that masked her jet black skin and she had revealed her beautiful white wings. He had seen her like this before, but still found the sight remarkable. He broke his gaze, realizing that staring was rude and turned his attention to the adults just as they turned towards them and signaled them to follow.

They were led down the main corridor and into a section they hadn't been down before. They stopped in front of the wide circular doors at the end of the corridor and waited for a brief moment as Mr. Summers pressed his thumb on a pad. It flashed a green light and the doors opened slowly. They went inside and all four of their jaws dropped in unison. They were in a large cavern, with a waterfall raging nearby, and in the center of the room was a huge black plane. It looks like a spy plane used by the American Air Force, Jake noted, Except it's edges are smother and it looks far more advanced.

"There she is," Hank said proudly. "My pride and joy."

"What is it?" Mark asked in awe.

"We call her The Blackbird," Hack replied with a smile, before leading them closer. "She is the main mode of transportation for the X-Men; she's designed to go unnoticed, but can defend herself if she runs into trouble, though there are few craft that can match her speed."

"You sound like you have a crush on her," Quinn commented.

"Tell me about it," Mrs. Dugan moaned as she showed them on board. Once they were all in they fastened themselves in.

"Are we ready Hack?" Mr. Summers said from a seat behind Hack.

"Yes Cyclops, all systems are green, it looks like she is in a good mood," Mrs. Dugan replied from where she sat at the controls. She touched the controls and the plane came to life and a moment later they were ascending rapidly. Jake looked up and began to panic; they were going to hit the ceiling of the cavern any moment. Suddenly the roof began to open up and the Blackbird flew out with barely a meter to spare. Jake realized that it was the pool that had opened. Confusion gripped him: how come he's never seen the Blackbird when it flew so close to the school?

"Notice the storm Jake, that's a distraction created by Mrs. Munroe," Hank told him, seeing the boy's puzzled look. "The rain gets the kids inside and the thunder masks the noise. The Blackbird has an advanced cloaking device that masks it from view. That's why you have never seen it before. The deception is to hide the Blackbird from the unwanted attention of the authorities rather than to keep it a secret from the students."

Jake nodded in understanding and looked out as the Institute rapidly grew smaller. The storm dissipated quickly, making it easier to fly the plane. They turned and flew forward while still climbing. They reached a dizzying altitude and Hack and Beast braced themselves.

"You may want to hold on," Beast advised them. They did so, just as Mrs. Dugan uncovered a red switch and pressed it. Jake's entire body was forced back against his chair as the Blackbird blasted forward with a near deafening crack, which he assumed was them breaking the sound barrier. The speed was immense; he looked over to see Mark throwing up into a bag and remembered he got travel sick. Jake was surprised that he himself hadn't been sick, but had thought so too soon. He was followed by Quinn and Caim in quick succession, much to the enjoyment of Hank, who seemed unaffected by it all.

"Ah, it's always the same for the first time," he said to an equally unaffected Cyclops. "Even Wolverine emptied his stomach's contents on his first time. Shadowcat still does." The three adults shared a laugh, earning them slight glares from their younger companions.

A/N OK, they are on a mission. Next time there will be action, which is why it may take a while, as I need to make sure I understand the character's powers. Particularly Mark's and Hack's, I'll be contacting the creators to make sure.

Please R&R.


	5. Chapter 5

Bright lights and tall buildings came into view as the Blackbird slowed to sub-sonic speed. It had taken less than an hour to travel the huge distance between New York and Las Vegas, which startled Jake, who had only just stopped throwing up. He looked around to his team mates. Quinn appeared to have settled and had returned to her normal behavior and Mark looked pale, but much better than he had been. Jake noted that Mark appeared to be more worried about the others than himself, looking over to them and checking they were alright. He paid particular attention to Caim, who was by far the worse affected of the four. His cheeks were lined with red marks from the tears that had fallen as his eyes watered. He was sweating heavily and was clutching his stomach in pain. Cyclops had moved to the back to check he was ok while Hack and Beast looked on from behind the controls, concerned, all joking had been forgotten.

As they flew over the outer edges of the glittering city, all of Jake's attention was focusing on his friend. Cyclops had given him a pill which appeared to have some affect, if only to relieve the pain. Mark's gaze was also fixed on him, and Jake saw that he felt helpless being unable to do anything, even if only to comfort him.

"We'll be landing soon," Hack said softly, giving a comforting smile to all four teens. "Ink will be on solid ground in no time."

"Where?" Quinn asked. "We can't exactly park a jet without it being noticed, it'll be heard even if people can't see it."

"You have such little faith in the Blackbird," Beast quipped. "Trust me; she can sneak in without being noticed."

"She might be able to, but what about us?" Quinn retorted. "I have pure black skin and wings, those are sure to attract attention."

"We have thought this through Nightmare," Cyclops reassured. "Trust that the experts have it covered and just do your job."

It took a visible effort from Quinn not to react, anyone else and she would have blown her top, or thrown them into one of her little black holes. But she was trying to make a good impression, if only for the sake of Jake and Mark, whom Quinn knew were really keen to be part of the X-Men. She simply pouted in silence and did her best to mask her seething rage. Jake offered a goofy smile as much to calm his own nerves as to calm Quinn's anger, and it had the desired affect on both.

The Blackbird slowed to a hover high above the city below, floating ten meters from the point of famous pyramid casino Jake remembered seeing in magazines. Hack and Beast scanned the area, searching for a good location to set down. Jake looked out at his surroundings. The sense of excitement from the city made Jake feel giddy. It bustled with life; the buildings dressed in bright lights. The sun was slowly beginning to set and the city was coming alive as building after building began to shine as they turned on their dazzling lights. Looking back at Caim, he saw the boy was looking far better; he even ventured a rare weak smile of reassurance.

"There," Beast said, pointing to a vacant helipad on top of a huge hotel. "That looks like it could support our weight."

"I see it," Hack replied, turning the plane and coming to bear on the landing site. The Blackbird hovered over the pad briefly, before coming to rest on it with a thud. The engines quickly went silent and before Jake could register they had landed the exit portal and lowered the steps to allow them to get out. The team quickly unfastened themselves and got up. Jake's legs were numb and he had to stretch for a few moments to bring them to life. While doing so the others headed for the exit, all except for Hack who rushed past him and headed through a door at the back of the plane.

Caim was the first to exit, with Cyclops close behind to support him if he needed it, followed shortly after by Mark and Quinn. Jake turned to head out as well, but felt a strong hand grip his shoulder gently. He looked around in surprise to see Beast looking down at him seriously.

"Jake, you need to be care," Beast said quietly. "Cyclops was unsure about bringing you on particular on this mission; he was concerned you are not ready. I am sure you are, and Natasha, Mrs. Dugan, thinks so to. I don't want to find out I was wrong, you're a good kid."

Jake nodded, shocked by what he had heard. He stepped off the plane and walked over to Mark and Caim. Why did the others think he wasn't ready? he thought. Why was he singled out? He looked up to Mark, who was staring right pass him at the Blackbird. Jake turned and stopped, his jaw dropping at the sight, or lack of it. The Blackbird wasn't there, or at least, it wasn't visible. He watched as Beast stepped out of a doorway that appeared to be hovering in mid air. The blue man chuckled softly when he saw the bewildered expressions on their faces.

"I told you she could sneak in undetected," He said, before turning to Quinn and adding. "You see, you have nothing to fear."

Quinn nodded, also shocked by what she saw. Jake moved to check on Caim, who was looking more ill than he had been on the plane.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine, a little queasy still," Caim stuttered. Mark put a hand on his shoulder, both him and Jake looking at Caim, concerned.

"We'll be down soon," Mark comforted.

"Our destination is one point six miles east of our current location," Cyclops said as he checked his PDA.

"How do you expect us to get there?" Quinn asked, the shock wearing off. "Like I said, I don't exactly blend in."

"And like I said before," Cyclops said "we've got it covered."

"Where's Hack?" Mark asked. As if on queue a tremendous mechanical noise erupted from the Blackbird as something large and black was slowly lowered from underneath. It didn't take long before it became apparent it was some form of SUV. A tinted window rolled down to reveal Hack behind the steering wheel.

"Get in," she said, motioning her head for them to get in the back.

"How will we get that down from here?" Mark said, a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Everyone, meet the other love of my life. I affectionately call her the Warthog," Beast said proudly. Hack rolled her eyes and started the engine.

"We need to get moving, get on board," Cyclops ordered, and they obeyed quickly. Beast climbed into the front, while Mark, Caim and Quinn got into the seats behind with Jake sitting opposite Cyclops in the back seats. The Warthog was surprisingly spacious and comfortable, yet at the same time very loud.

"Everyone buckle up," Hack said as she checked the mirrors. "Ink, I would recommend closing your eyes to taking deep breaths.

Caim did so, and the vehicle revved loudly. Mark still had no idea how they would get the thing down when it accelerated forward suddenly, heading straight for the edge. They barely had time to realize what was happening when it drove off the building and hurtled into the air, falling rapidly. The four teens started yelling as the massive vehicle plummeted toward the concrete below. But rather than the massive crash they were expecting, a huge jet of air erupted from the beneath them and cushioned the fall, setting them comfortably down on the quiet side street next to the hotel. They roared off down the road before joining the main high street.

"That was not funny," Mark panted, feeling very tense. "You should've warned us."

"But if we did that, you would have known what we were about to do," Beast explained, chuckling. "And that wouldn't have been half as fun now would it?"

"Fun for you maybe," Mark retorted. He looked to Caim, who sat next to him. The boy had quite visibly perked up: color had returned to his cheeks and he seemed quite content as he looked out at the city around him. Mark smiled, but as he turned to Jake he quickly lost his smile again. The boy was staring down at his hands solemnly, absorbed by thought about what Beast had said. Mark reached out and grabbed his hand, smiling gently. Even though he didn't know what was bothering him he knew how to cheer him up. Jake looked up, startled, before smiling widely back at Mark. His friend pulled a funny face, and Jake stuck his tongue out in retaliation. Cyclops coughed, signaling his lack of amusement and Mark looked back to the front.

Jake caught a quick glance at the man across from him, who was looking down at his PDA. He wore a similar black uniform to them, with a yellow belt marked with an X. He was well built, his muscles clearly defined by the tight uniform. Jake's attention was drawn to his yellow visor that covered his eyes, which contrasted greatly against his reddish brown hair. Jake was kind of fond of the man, despite what Quinn thought. His dominant, alpha male attitude reminded him of his grandfather, who had been the head of his family until he died. He was the only relative he had fond memories of.

The Warthog lurched round a corner, snapping Jake back into the real world. They had entered a poor suburban part of the city, the lights and sounds that had dazzled them before now fading into eerie silence as they weaved through the now poorly lit streets. They slowed and pulled into the car park of a dilapidated looking motel. Its plastered walls were crumbling and its iron railings rusting. It appeared as though it hadn't been lived in for long time.

They dismounted and formed up behind Cyclops, who signaled for Beast and Hack to take the stairs on the far side while he and the others took the steps by the entrance of the car park. They crept quietly along the upper floor, meeting Beast outside Room 57. Cyclops signaled them to be silent before silently opening the door. He rushed in, followed by Beast and Hack, then Mark, Quinn, Caim and finally Jake. They spread out into the dark room, while a single shadowy figure sat quietly in the corner. It was a woman, and as Jake became aware of her he noticed she was wearing a trench coat and purple headband.

"I must say I'm feeling very appreciated," she said sarcastically. "I ask for the X-Men and I get the Kindergarten."

"Alas Jubilee, we had no idea what we should send," Beast retorted. "You were very vague when you contacted us."

"Oh sorry Beast," she said "Next time people are shooting at me I'll make sure to give you a full mission report."

"Where's Wolverine?" Cyclops interrupted.

"We got separated as soon as the first gun went off," she answered. "He did the 'I am Logan, I am invincible' thing and tried to lead them away. I haven't heard from him since."

"When was that?" Cyclops asked.

"About the time I asked for your help, so about a year ago," She moaned. "I thought I had been forgotten about for a while."

"We came as soon as we could," Cyclops replied, before noticing some bandages around her shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

"I had a disagreement with a bullet," she said. "I thought I could dodge it but it proved otherwise."

"Do you need medical attention?" Cyclops offered.

"Do you think I'd be sitting here making jokes if I needed a doctor?" she said. "I need to get out of here; I have some interesting information about a certain female blue bitch, if you'll pardon my language." She looked at the teens with a cheeky smile.

"Then let us not waste any more time," Beast said, signaling for the door. They headed out, Jake being the last before Jubilee to exit. As they marched down the stairs, two black sedans pulled up blocking the entrance to the Motel car park. Jake heard a quiet "Oh no" from Jubilee besides him and his heart instantly started pounding. Men in black suits poured out of the cars and pulled out their weapons.

Beast instantly reacted, leaping from the railings to land ten feet away, crashing onto the one of the cars before kicking the closest unlucky gunman square in the face. Meanwhile Cyclops had ran to the bottom of the stairs and braced himself before a ruby colored burst of energy erupted from his eyes and struck a second surprise assailant just as Beast was tackling a third. The teens moved into action, Quinn taking off into the air to hover over them while Mark and Caim ran down the stairs to confront a band of goons who were attempting to flank them. Caim's body shook as a tattoo of a tiger on his back literally came to life and roared at the attackers before charging at them. Meanwhile Mark wiped his hand across the sweat on his brow and it morphed into a solid object shaped like a pistol. He took aim just as the gunmen opened fire, though more were aiming more at the demonic tiger than the boys.

At the same time Hack leapt over the railings and landed flawlessly on the ground below before moving to join Beast. One of the men moved to attack her and suffered a stinging kick to the face in return before being flipped onto his back. A second was disarmed by a swiping kick before being knocked unconscious. Jake transformed into his transparent state and pooled into a puddle on the floor, which then slide along the walls rapidly to flank behind the foes attacking Mark and Caim. Reforming right in front of one of them, he smiled at the shocked man before pushing him hard against a wall, sticking him to it firmly. Another man ran and punched him squarely in the stomach. It had no effect and he found his hand was stuck there. Jake solidified his hand and punched the man firmly on his jaw, knocking him out instantly. Mark fired at one of the gunmen, who were thrown back at the force of being shot by the weapon. A gunman burst out from behind his cover and took aim at Mark before he could react, but then suddenly darkness surrounded him and the man was engulfed.

"You got to stay alert Weaponmaster; I can't be here to save all the time," Quinn joked, but her smile quickly disappeared suddenly and she dived down.

Suddenly a helicopter flew over them and hovered high over the motel. A rocket flew out and struck the Warthog, which erupted into a fireball. Cyclops stood firm and fired one incredibly strong burst at the helicopter, ripping the tail in two and sending it spinning wildly.

"What now?" Hack asked. Other black cars were racing towards them, too many for them to hold their ground against.

"We split up! Hack, Beast, Ink, try to divert them!" Cyclops ordered. "Nightmare, Weaponmaster, Glue, you're with me! Get Jubilee to the Blackbird, whatever it takes. Go!"

The two teams split up and ran in opposite directions. Beast's team ran into the road right in front of the cars and let them chase them down a side street while the others quietly snuck past without being seen and headed back down the road they came from.

They ran several blocks, seeing no one as they hurried along.

They headed down an alley, only to find it suddenly blocked by a sedan. They doubled back under a hail of bullets, only to find that their way back was blocked as well. It dawned on them hard that they were trapped, and they searched for a way out as they hide behind some trash cans. They had no luck; they were surrounded on both sides by high walls with no way to scale them.

"Glue, how many people could you carry in your glue form?" Cyclops asked between returning fire. A second helicopter was looming over head and several more cars had arrived to provide reinforcements.

"Err, one. Anymore and I can't hold on," Jake replied.

"Get Jubilee up that wall and to the Blackbird," Cyclops said. "We need that information! GO!" Jake nodded and turned to the woman, who had been quiet up to that point.

"Ok, sticky boy, let's go," she said before holding onto Jake as he slid up the wall, leaving his friends trapped in the alley.

Cyclops fired on the helicopter to keep it occupied as the pair fled over the roof top, but the machine gun fire made it impossible to stop or turn back. They slid down onto an empty street and ran quickly as fast as they could from the gunfire. Jake was suddenly pulled into an alley and forced down to hide behind another trash can as a black sedan raced down the street without seeing them. Jubilee pressed a finger against her lips, signaling for Jake to be quiet, as they tentatively left their hiding spot and crept along the street.

"So where's the Blackbird?" Jubilee asked after a few moments.

"Err, I, err," Jake stuttered. Jubilee glared at him. "You don't know?" she exclaimed. "Great, so we're alone and lost."

Jake didn't reply, the sudden realization of what she said dawned on him. He had no idea where he was, or where to go. They were being pursued by what appeared to be an army. But the thing that scared him the most was that he separated from his friends.

A/N there we go, was that alright. Actiony stuff is hard for me to write without it sounding repetitive. I hope it was ok.

If there is any problem with any powers, lemme know and I will change it. Bear in mind that I cannot read minds, so I have to assume and guess.

Chapter six will be up, err... soon, I guess, as soon as my beta gives it the all clear. I should thank her, she makes me look good.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Ok, here we go, Chapter 6, this is officially the longest story I have ever written, so I am proud of my self. I would have given up a long time ago if it wasn't for my reviewers. There aren't many of you, but its quality, not quantity. Hopefully there will be more in the way of quantity soon as well. My target is one hundred reviews, so tell your friends and relatives. Please R&R, please.

I would like to say that there is some 'T' rated violence and hopefully some suspense. Like I said, I'm not brilliant at Action, so please be nice.

Hopefully, you will enjoy.

XxXxX

Jake crept through an alley between two tall buildings. His innocent mind hadn't comprehended what the 'XXX' and 'Peepshow' signs on them had meant, much to the amusement of the women leading him through the dark streets of Las Vegas. Jubilee had been quiet since they had realized they were lost, she had kept them moving while Jake was too distracted to do anything but follow. It hit him hard when he realized what he had done: he had abandoned his best friends in an alley surrounded by men trying to kill them.

Jake didn't even think to say goodbye or good luck. He was suddenly feeling overwhelmed by what was happening; he stopped and pressed his back against the wall, desperate for a moment's peace. A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, and thoughts of Beast and what he had said flooded back. Jake looked up at the owner of the hand, and found Jubilee smiling warmly at him.

"You ok kid?" she asked. Jake nodded and Jubilee let go of his shoulder. She stepped back, still smiling.

"What's your name kid?" she asked, her voice softer and more friendly.

"Jake, err, my codename is Glue," Jake answered.

"Well Jake, I need you to be strong for me," she soothed. "You're my only backup, and we're not out of this yet, not by a long shot."

"What do we do?" Jake asked, still shaken by what was happening.

"We find a place still open that sells clothes," she replied. "We need to get you into something less… conspicuous." Jake looked down at his tight fitting uniform and he began to wonder why on earth the X-Men thought such a ridiculous looking costume was a good idea. Jake followed Jubilee as she headed off again. They entered a well lit street, lined on each side by more 'adult theatres'. They travelled along the sidewalk, heading west, as Jake had recalled Cyclops say that they needed to go east when they first arrived. They met very few people, and those that they did didn't seem to notice them. Jake noted that some were dressed in even more ridiculous clothing than he was.

Jake's thoughts returned to his friends, he hoped all he could that they were alright, and he wished that he could turn back time and help them.

XxXxX

Quinn ducked as a bullet flew overhead; more bullets came from behind her, ricocheting off the walls around them. One gunman moved forward to duck behind a wall closer to them, a mistake, Quinn thought. She threw her hands out and drew him into her darkness. She saw him in her mind, shocked and bewildered and surrounded by a swarm of spiders.

"I would change your employer if I were you," she said to him with a menacing smile. "You don't need the aggravation of meeting me again."

He screamed as the spiders started crawling up him, a look of pure terror strewn across his face. She returned to consciousness and saw the man lying crumpled on the floor where he once stood, the look of terror still on his face. Mark meanwhile was firing everything at the gunmen, trying to keep them away. He had turned an iron bar into a small rifle and was firing wildly at the attackers. Bullets touched his skin, but were instantly sent flying back at the firer without leaving so much as a mark. Fighting humans with guns was easily his strong point. Despite this he was feeling tired and the enemy was closing in. He could fend them off at a distance but wouldn't last long in a hand to hand fight.

Cyclops hadn't given up firing at the gunmen, but he had turned his attention to the helicopters and had downed the second one, but it had quickly been replaced by a third and fourth. A fifth could be heard in the distance. He desperately searched for an exit strategy, but like before, found none. His gaze wandered to Quinn, to her wings, and he was hit by a sudden idea.

"Nightmare, get you and Weaponmaster out of here!" he shouted.

"How do you expect me to do that?" she retorted.

"Your wings real or just for show?" he shot back before firing several bursts at the approaching forces. "Go, I'll cover you!"

Quinn nodded and grabbed Mark roughly by the chest from behind and with one massive sweep of her wings flew high into the air. The circling helicopters opened fire on them as they cleared the buildings but failed to find their target before Quinn swept down to street level and glided briefly before sweeping upwards to fly over a second set of buildings. Mark noticed his feet dangling dangerously close to the ground but was powerless to do anything. Quinn realized suddenly that they were being pursued by one of the helicopters and its gunner fired wildly at the pair as it chased them.

Quinn dived down again to soar through another alley in a desperate attempt to shake them but their pursuers kept up, hovering over them. It waited for them fly out before opening fire, barely missing Quinn's wings. She was beginning to feel her grip on Mark slip and was finding it hard to keep them both in the air. Distracted with keeping hold of him, she flew high over a tall building but had not saw the radio mast until it was too late to avoid it. In a desperate act she threw herself round, hitting the thin metal mast square on the shoulder. They bounced back and hit the roof of the building hard, sliding along the graveled surface. Mark felt his body fall and a hand clasp his while his mind was in a daze. Looking around he suddenly realized he had fallen off the edge and was dangling a dozen floors above the ground. He looked up to see Quinn desperately holding on to him, straining through the pain of the injuries she had just suffered. He clawed at the brickwork of the building in an attempt to pull himself up, but suddenly felt his arm slip. He looked up to see Quinn rapidly growing smaller and braced for the inevitable impact against the concrete below.

XxXxX

Beast rolled forward to land between two gunmen and threw his arms out, knocking both clean into the air. At the same time a tiger leaped over his head to crush into another unfortunate attacker. Caim had unleashed an arsenal of deadly creatures against their opponents, while casting spheres of flame at those that challenged him. Hack was busy dealing with anyone who opposed them as the three of them attempted to flee. They had been pursued by a dozen black cars before running deeper into the suburbs and finding themselves in a trailer park.

They fled through the maze of mobile homes and pickup trucks while battling their pursuers. People came out of their homes before quickly retreating as soon as they saw the guns and heard the shots ring out. The three X-Men were steadily being surrounded as more gunmen flooded the area. The concept of being trapped didn't affect them, it was the fact that it was as if their attackers were innumerable. For every gunman they defeated, two more replaced him. Caim had never had to fight so hard and was growing tired. Only the thought of his friends getting to safety kept him going.

As they moved deeper into the park they were flanked by several gunmen, who took cover behind several cars and opened fire. The three of them ducked for cover from the furious fire and leapt into a dried out ditch. Bullets peppered the ground above them, sending dirt raining down over them.

Caim sent both his lion and tiger charging towards the gunmen. He suddenly noticed that he was in pain. It took a moment to register that the pain was coming from his shoulder. Looking down he saw a hole in his uniform, a dark red liquid seeped from a barely distinguishable against his black uniform. His eyes widened and his breathing sharply increased, he made no sound but looked close to screaming.

Hack looked down to see Caim panicking and she knelt next to him, gripping his arm. He looked up with wide eyes, shocked and going pale. She smiled warmly while tearing her sleeve and pressing the material against his wound. He gave a slight cry and closed his eyes tightly.

"You're going to be fine," She said softly, just audible over the gunshots. "It's just a flesh wound."

He seemed to go paler before suddenly fainting. Hack cursed quietly before looking up to Beast, who had only just noticed what was happening. He nodded in understanding before picking up a trash can and hurling it in the direction of the shooters. After checking to make sure the boy was ok Hack crouched over to Beast's position.

"He's homophobic," she explained. "It looks like we're on our own."

"We could have used his little pets," Beast said, glancing over at the ever persistent gunmen and the sudden disappearance of the big cats. They were being surrounded on all sides, black suited gunmen closing in around them on all sides.

"Any ideas?" he asked. Hack looked around, then she seemed to notice something and leapt to her knees, pulling out her PDA.

"Cover me," she said to a bewildered Beast.

"What?" he asked, confused. She shot him a look telling him not to ask anymore questions and returned to what she was doing. She didn't press any buttons, a look of complete concentration etched on her face. Beast turned his attention to the gunmen, hurling anything that came to hand while roaring furiously. Despite this it didn't appear to have any effect on them, they closed in, the bullets getting closer to their targets. Beast quickly found that he was ducking out of the way increasingly more than he was returning their attacks.

"How long are you going to be?" he pressed, his voiced strained.

"Cover me," she repeated. Beast grunted and threw another trash can at the gunmen closing in on their left.

"Got it," she said victoriously. "I'm in."

"In where?" Beast demanded.

"The U.S communication network," she said matter-of-factly. "I have access to all the mobile phones in the area."

"Great, what are we going to do?" he said. "Prank call them?"

"Shut up and look," she answered, "Their ears, they have mobile earpieces." Beast looked up and saw the small black devices in their attacker's ears. Returning to her deep concentration, a moment later Hack looked up again with a sly smile on her face.

"Cover your ears," she told him. Beast followed orders immediately, still confused as to what she was planning. The gunmen closed in quickly to less than a few meters from them.

"Ha-ha, I'm in, I've accessed the network and isolated the intended individuals," she said, smirking. "Say goodnight, stupido!"

She jabbed the send button and for a brief moment there was absolute silence. Suddenly a deafening screech erupted from every earpiece of every gunman near them. The noise pained Beast's ears, but the effect was far worse for their attackers, who momentarily writhed in pain before they all fell unconscious.

Beast surveyed the aftermath, his ears still ringing. He looked down at the smiling Hack.

"I love you," he said.

"I love myself too." She beamed proudly, then she looked back down at her PDA suddenly confused. "That's odd, there's a strange signal originating less than a mile from our location."

"What?" Beast asked. "I think you deafened me."

"Let's get going," Hack said sighing. She got to her feet and headed back to the unconscious Caim. Happy he was OK, she signaled for Beast to carry him before they headed back into the city.

XxXxX

Jake caught a T-shirt in his arms and added it to the jeans that hung over his arm. Jubilee and him had found a big store that was open twenty four hours a day and had headed straight to the clothing aisle. Jubilee decided what he should wear, he simply took what she gave him. He been surprised she had accurately judged what he size he was.

They quickly bought what she had decided and he borrowed a changing room to change out from his uniform. He liked what he was given, a blue shirt, smart skinny jeans and red sneakers.

She smiled slightly when he showed her what he looked like, but she didn't say anything. Instead she rushed off out into street expecting Jake to follow. He carried his uniform under his arm and ran after her.

They headed west again until they came upon a street surrounded by tall buildings. Jake suddenly felt as though this place was familiar and realized it was very close to the pyramid. Looking around he saw the tall hotel. He grabbed Jubilee's arm and pointed.

"That's it!" he cried.

"That's what?" she replied, frowning.

"The hotel, that's where the Blackbird landed!"

XxXxX

Quinn sprinted down to the ground floor and burst into the alley Mark had fallen into. Dread filled her when she saw the crumpled figure on the floor. Running over she knelt down over the boy. He didn't look hurt, but his eyes were closed and his breathing non-existent. She took hold of him, holding him to her.

"Why did you have to fall you stupid idiot," she whispered, her voice strained. "Mark, please be ok." A tear rolled down her face.

"You dropped me." The mumbled voice came from her lap and she looked down to see Mark smiling slightly, his eyes half open.

"I wouldn't have if you weren't so fat," she replied. "It's a good thing you landed on your ass, it cushioned your fall."

"Thanks," he said uncomfortably. "I'm glad you care."

She pushed him off her lap and he pushed himself onto his elbows. His head was spinning and his body felt like it had been hit by a bus but he didn't have any serious injuries. His healing abilities had saved him from certain death, though even he was shocked to be alive. Quinn helped him to his feet. He was unstable, but was able to stay up without falling.

"Where's the helicopter?" he asked, looking around.

"I don't know," Quinn replied. "It flew off, I don't know why."

"We need to get back to the Blackbird," Mark said after a moment.

"Trouble is, I have no idea where that is," Quinn replied. They looked around, completely lost. Quinn decided to head off in a random direction, holding up a limping Mark.

XxXxX

A/N crappy ending I know, I lost my train of thought. A surprise will be in the next chapter, so stick around to see what it is.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I manage to break through my writers block by listening to Bruce Springsteen, so thank (or blame) him for this. Like I said, I've not really ever done fight scenes, so this is a learning experience for me. Sorry it's taken so long to update, I'm posting the next chapter straight away to make up for my slowness.

And, of course, as I mentioned previously, here will be a surprise. I hope you enjoy...

XxXxX

Mark limped down the street, held up by Quinn. The pain through his body had dissipated little, his legs felt weak whilst his back and chest ached and his head was still spinning. None of this seemed very important considering he had cheated death, and he had realized he was not the only one who had been hurt. Looking across at the girl he was clinging on to for support he noticed a deep gash cutting across her left shoulder. He noticed the wing behind it look painfully damaged; she wouldn't be able to fly for several months at least.

They trudged aimlessly through the well lit streets, flanked by old movie theatres and ill used nightclubs. They encountered only a couple of people, who seemed to ignore them. One drunk man, dressed as Elvis, had told them the direction towards the pyramid hotel they had seen when they arrived. Another man, who greeted them by singing 'Born in the USA' and wearing a pink cat suit, had invited them to a 'Bondage party' from the way they the dressed, which they turned down. Mark didn't know what he had meant but Quinn seemed to seethe at the idea. Quinn was quickly developing a abhorrence to Las Vegas, she thought it was a horrible, bizarre place. Mark had noticed she had been very quiet, and had attempted to avoid his gaze ever since he had found her crying over him. In truth he was deeply touched she cared so much, but also new that he could never let her live it down.

Over the last ten minutes they'd found themselves completely lost, the advice from the drunk man had turned out to be wrong. Mark let Quinn lead them, he was in no state to argue. Tiredness crept over him, his feet were slowly getting heavier, and it was steadily taking more willpower to carry on. The only way he could keep going was to let himself drift into deep thought. This in turn had its consequences, since his thoughts were occupied by his friends.

The last he saw of Caim he was fleeing with Hack and Beast being pursued by a dozen black sedans full of men in black suits with guns. He remembered the expression on the boy's face, one of determination, and fear. When Jake fled with Jubilee, he hadn't looked at him, he was too busy. He never tried to say goodbye, and now he was regretting it, he didn't want the last thing he said to his 'best' friend to be talk of Captain Britain and Geography. He hope all that he could that they, and the others, were safe. But dreadful thoughts of what might have happened to them plagued the back of his mind.

He was too preoccupied to notice that a shadowy figure was following them, it stalked the shadow a few meters behind them before stepping out to narrow the gap. It closed in on them, silently, reaching out with its hand to grabbed mark's shoulder. Movement in the corner of Mark's eye brought him out of his thoughts and he looked around to see a huge hand looming over him. He leapt away, attempting to take a defensive stance but found that his legs gave way and he landed squarely on his rump. Quinn span round prepared for the impending attack, but found rather than a hail of bullets she found that the stranger had stopped momentarily. He stepped into the light, revealing a black uniform similar to theirs. He was heavily built, with messy black hair, thick unshaved stubble and wild sideburns. His uniform bore several tears and holes, suggesting he had been in a brutal fight, but he appeared unhurt.

He wore an unhappy expression that seemed as though it had been etched into his face, matched by his almost unnaturally manly, gruff voice.

"Relax kid's I'm one of the good guys." He said, casually holding up a hand in a defensive gesture. "I saw you guys limping like a couple of stray dogs with no where to go, I didn't want to shout you in case some more of the assholes in suits were following one of us."

Quinn relaxed slightly but didn't lower her defensive stance. She never trusted any stranger, let alone at a time when she was being shot at. Mark cumbersomely got to his feet, grunting painfully before stabilizing himself, trying to stop his weary legs from giving way under him. He greeted his fellow X-Man with a smile, but found only a cold stare directed back at him. Quinn maintained her wariness.

"Sorry, but who are you exactly." She asked, her face betraying her uncertainty.

"The names Logan miss." He replied casually. "Though most X-Men call me Wolverine on missions."

"Logan, that's who Jubilee was talking about." Mark said. "She said you ran off to draw away the shooters."

"You've seen her." Logan said, showing some genuine concern in his voice before returning to his gruff monotone. "Is she OK? We got separated, I tried to fight my way through but I wasn't fast enough."

"The last we saw of her she was escaping from an alley full of guys shooting at us with our team mate, Glue." Quinn answered calmly.

"Damn, why the hell did Xavier send a bunch of kids to find us?" He asked angrily to himself.

"We've handled ourselves well enough." Quinn retorted defensively. Logan snorted and ran his had though is untamed hair, a slight but sinister smile breaking from his lips.

"Yeah, lost in the middle of no where with no way of contacting anyone and completely alone, real' well handled." He said sarcastically.

"And the difference between us and you is?" Quinn asked back, raising her eyebrows to show she was unimpressed. Logan opened his mouth to answer but shut it again without saying anything. He shrugged casually before casually admitting, "You got me there kid, what'd say to finding our way out of here?"

"How, like you said, were lost." Mark asked. Logan smile and reached into his pocket.

"Well, since I now know that the Blackbird is here, there's no need to conserve battery power for this." He said, pulling out a PDA just like Cyclops and Hack used. "This my little friend, is our ticket out of here."

XxXxX

Cyclops dodged a fist aimed straight at his head before kicking in the direction of his attacker, sending the man flying back. He caught a kick of a man behind him and punched the guy in the face before hurling the semi-conscious smuck at another, sending them flying to the ground in a mess of limbs. His finger tapped his visor, releasing a beam of energy hurtling towards a crowed of gunmen, sending them flying. A hand gripped his shoulder, causing him to reflexively to spin round and strike out with is fist, connecting with the man behind him and smashing him against the wall. As the man fell Cyclops saw another stand straight and aim. The veteran X-Man leapt to the ground, just avoiding the hail of bullets before firing back, knocking the gunman off his feet.

He immediately got to his feet and prepared for more attacks, bullets were find near him, missing him by inches. He fired at anyone who moved, but he couldn't stop those behind him, who closed in, firing wildly. A bullet whizzed passed his head, nearly grazing hi ear. He span round again and fired, only to find that his enemy charged him from behind. Something hard smashed his head, throwing him to the ground. He looked up, his head fuzzy, to see himself surrounded by men pointing guns at him. He closed his eye's, bracing for the end that never came. He briefly opened his eyes to see a flash of blue that sent the men flying as if a bomb had gone of in the midst.

A violent, animalistic roar ripped through him as Beast hurled a pair of goons first into one another and then shattering into a wall. Cyclops's vision seemed to blur and was unable to fully comprehend what was going on. He found a hand a dangling over his face and took it, being help to his feet by Hack. She smiles briefly, before turning to the now retreating enemy gunmen, frowning for some reason. He noticed Caim besides her, looking slightly pale and not very alert, with a bandage covering his shoulder. Beast walked back, panting heavily whilst smiling happily. Cyclops's head slowly returned to normal, though it still throbbed from where he had been hit, he guessed, by a gun butt.

"Are you ok Cyclops?" Beast asked.

"Yeah." He replied whilst rubbing his head. "I guess saying you turned up just in time is a bit of an understatement."

"Indeed my friend, it is fortunate that Hack's PDA was able to detect yours." Beast said before chuckling lightly. "I am so glad I was able to persuade Xavier to introduce them into the X-Men, they are becoming infinitely indispensable. Where are the others?"

"They managed to escape." Cyclops said. "Jubilee and Glue fled shortly before the other two, though they went in different directions."

"I'm sure they can handle themselves." Beast said. "The youthful are ingeniously resourceful-"

"I don't understand." Hack said bluntly, cutting off Beast. "They left far to easily, I mean, even with Hank being so charming they outnumbered us ten to one, yet they practically upped sticks as soon as we arrived."

"Perhaps they heard of your remarkable abilities regarding telecommunications and fled, petrified." Beast joked. Cyclops frowned at the feeling of being left out of the joke, along with Caim who up until that point had done nothing to draw attention to himself.

"I'm being serious, it doesn't make sense." She said, pausing briefly before she suddenly realized something. "Unless they found a more important target." She looked at the others with dread, whilst Cyclops instantly resumed his leader persona, returning his expression and tone of voice to neutral.

"Hack, get into their comms, and find out what they found." He ordered. "Beast, scout the area, they might come back at any moment."

They nodded a response and proceeded to carry out his orders. Hack quickly accessed their enemies communication system using a active radio one of them was carrying. she frowned at how professional it was, she could find no reference to who was attacking them or why. She did find what she was looking for though, which sent a pang of panic up her body.

"They've found them." She exclaimed fearfully. "They've found Glue and Jubilee, they're near the Blackbird, they're heading into a trap." The four of them looked at one another in alarm before Cyclops decided to that they shouldn't wait around.

"Alright, everyone, to the Blackbird, double time." He barked. The others obeyed quicly, but Hack paused for only a moment, she found that strange signal again. It to closing in on Jake, it was being beamed via satellite down to a target. What it was for, she couldn't say, but it made her feel uneasy. Deciding not to dwell on it, she broke her link with the radio and followed after the others as they sprinted to the Blackbird.

XxXxX

Jake stopped, whilst panting and leaning against the wall for support. The sign next to him said that he had reached the seventieth floor of the Hotel the Blackbird had landed on. But when he looked up, he saw that they still had at least thirty floors to go. He was seriously regretting the decision to sneak in, rather than go through the front door, as then they could have used the elevator. Jubilee had insisted they enter undetected and so they had entered via a fire escape and had taken the maintenance staircase. It was a long way up, but Jubilee had kept an unrelenting pace which rivaled Lars's at his best, stopping only because Jake had fallen too far behind.

He had considered using his powers, but the consequences should he be caught would be catastrophic. They walked in silence, which gave Jake the chance to think. Self doubt and worry was plaguing his mind, his usual positivity had left him as the gravity of the last few hours sank in. At the time of leaving his friends in the alley he hadn't been thinking, he was too preoccupied with being shot at that all he could do was obey orders. But as things calmed down and the silence set he began to play over what had happened again and again in his mind.

He felt like had abandoned Mark and Quinn to the mercy of the men shooting at them and he hadn't thought about it. He was so racked with guilt that he had stopped paying attention to what he was doing. He misplaced his foot and tripped over the step sending him crashing into the hard concrete stairs. His hands slipped along the rough surface whilst his shins smashing into the corner of a step, causing him make a hissing noise at the pain. He waited a moment, to dazed to move, before the stinging in his legs had become too unbearable to ignore. He rolled over to sit on the step, reaching down he touched his sore shins and winced at the tingling pain that shot through him.

"Are you alright kid." Jubilee asked behind him, her tone was more that of annoyance than concern. Jake was too embarrassed to answer. The one thing he had managed to do all this time was to not look like an idiot. He put his head in his hands, ignoring that they were sore as well. He couldn't handle it, the stress and the guilt was too much. He felt a tear run down his cheek and land on fall onto his lap, then a second and third as he stopped trying to hold it all back. He felt Jubilee brush against him as she sat down next to him, he heard the rustle of her big yellow coat and found an arm wrap around his should, pulling him closer to the woman. He cried quietly, shaking lightly with his head pressed into her shoulder.

"Sshh, it's OK." She said softly, using her free hand to wipe away the tears from his face. "I know it's been hard, I understand."

Jake looked up at her, his eyes red and his cheeks lined with moisture. "I left them, I abandoned them. I didn't try to help and now I don't know whether they're alright."

"Sshh, you did nothing wrong Jake." Jubilee soothed, "You followed orders like you were meant to. Your friends will be fine, Cyclops might act like he has a sword permeantly shoved up his arse but he knows what he's doing, he'd not let anything happen to your friends, I promise."

"But you don't know that, they could be hurt, or worse." Jake said painfully.

"You don't know that either, you've just got to trust in your friends abilities and try not to focus on the bad things." Jubilee replied. "From what I've seen, your friends can handle themselves, am I right?"

Jake paused for a moment, thinking about what she said, then nodded softly. It was true, he thought, if anyone was capable of beating the men that were trying to kill them it was his friends. It would take more than a small army to beat Quinn, Caim was strong, and he Hack and Beast with him, and Mark, well he was the best at everything he did, he was more than capable of taking on a few assholes with guns.

Jubilee smiled at Jake and help him to his feet. He legs were sore but he could walk, he wiped his face with his sleeve and returned Jubilee's smile. They restarted their climb, though at a more forgiving pace.

XxXxX

A/N I'll end it there, it's shorter than I planned but this way I can pour loads of detail into the next bit. The surprise was Logan, but there is an even bigger surprise in the next chapter, that I intended originally to be in this one but it'll do for now.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Right then, must admit, half this was written by hand, because my computer broke for a while. But then it wasn't and so I wrote this. Hope you enjoy. Minor violence warnings.

XxXxX

The Sign reading the 'Floor 190' was a welcome sight for Jake, as it meant he was only seven floors from the top. It seemed like very little when he looked down at the spiraling staircase below. His leg were aching and tired from the long walk, worsened by his still sore shins. Yet despite the discomfort he was in high spirits, assured that surely his friends were safe, or at the very least not in any trouble they couldn't handle. For the first time since arriving in Vegas he was smiling genuinely. A slight, tempered smile, but none the less; a smile.

"So Jake, how's life at the Institute?" Jubilee asked suddenly. It broke the comfortable silence so abruptly that Jake had to pause for a moment to comprehend what was being said.

Jake was getting annoyed of constantly being asked that question, mostly because no matter how many times he had been asked it, he never had given a suitable answer. All he could think to say was 'good' or 'Ok', as anymore involved talking about his feelings, something he didn't like doing.

"Err, Ok, I guess." Was the answer he finally settled with uncomfortably before readying himself for the expected barrage of questions that would pick at him for more details.

"Oh good, are the lessons still coma inducing?" Jubilee replied with a faint chuckle. Relieved at being asked an easy question Jake didn't hesitate to answer.

"Not for me, I really enjoy my lessons, my favorite subject is History with Mrs. Ororo, I love learning about all the amazing people and events that happened ages ago, but I don't not like any of my lessons." Jake said enthusiastically, not even taken a breath in between sentences. "Actually, that's not strictly true, I tend to fall asleep in Geography a lot, not that I don't like it, or Mr. Rasputin, he's cool, its just that I've memorized the textbook because I have a photographic memory, so I know it already and find Mr. Rasputin doesn't talk very interestingly, and his accent makes it hard to pay attention, its odd though because Mark, my friend, really likes it and can get defensive of Mr. Rasputin when Quinn, my other friend, talks about him."

"Goodness kid, do you normally talk that much so fast?" Jubilee asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, kind of, sorry." Jake half mumbled in embarrassment.

"Don't apologies Jake, it's refreshing to here someone else's voice. I've spent the last two weeks with a guy who's vocabulary consisted of belching, cursing and telling me to be quiet. She said in response. "Who was it that said a person who talks a lot is either a genius or a moron. Hmmn, I may have made it up, but it doesn't matter, either way your the former."

Jake beamed happily and proudly, nearly falling again as a result.

"Just try not to get 'too' annoying." She added. " I quite like you and Id hate to have to throttle a new friend."

Jake was too stunned to reply, an ecstatic giddy feeling that was barely containable swept over him; he had made a friend.

Just then they stopped, Jake looked up and realized they had reached the top. The fire door that blocked their way was quickly forced open with one swift kick. As soon as Jake stepped out he was dazzled and blinded by the millions of rainbow colored lights that were illuminating the whole of Vegas. Jake was amazed at the sight, it was as though the city had come alive. Almost as if it sleeps during the day & explodes with color, light & music when the sun goes down.

Jubilee stopped and pouted, and after a moment Jake realized the Blackbird was still invisible and he had no idea how to get in it. She gave him a question look, which he replied to with a shrug of the shoulders. They both paused for a moment, contemplating what to do next. Jubilee suddenly began laughing, practically becoming hysterical. Jake looked up with a frown, but quickly found himself joining in with her. Jake half fell onto the ground as he sat down to rest, still laughing.

The sudden and deafening roar of helicopter engines shattered their humor. Before Jake could even see where the helicopters were, the rooftop was peppered with gunfire. The world seemed to go slow, sand and dirt covering the roof was thrown into the air as bullets smashed around him, suddenly Jubilee stumbled and clutched her stomach. Jake watched as she fell backwards in an unconscious heap. Almost instinctively Jake transformed and leapt to his feet before he scurried over to Jubilee. Her eyes opened slightly as he took her hand, he saw the blood slowly soaking around the hole in her uniform. He felt panic gnawing at him as he tried to figure out what to do.

The sudden gusts of wind around him told him that the helicopters were closing in, adding to his urgency. Jubilee seemed to try to say something, but no sound came from her paling lips. The fire that had roared in her eyes seemed to dim, slowly becoming vacant. He effortlessly lifted her and slid behind a vent, he set her down and checked her pulse. There was something, though it was barely detectable. Shots rang through the air but Jake ignored them as he was impervious to bullets. With a sudden determined confidence, Jake placed his hand over the wound. He carefully pulled the bullet out before tearing a sleeve of his sleeve and sticking it over the wound. She seemed to rouse, but her eyes merely fluttered before she slumped back.

An alien feeling swept over him, a knot tied itself in his stomach and his jaw clenched without thinking, he was angry. He stood up and turned to his attackers for the first time. There was four black helicopters that were unloading dozens of the black suited, black sunglass wearing gunmen that had been attacking them.

With a cry of rage Jake launched himself forward, throwing his solidified arms at the nearest goon. He struck the tail of a helicopter with an extended arm and shattered it into two pieces, sending wildly spinning and smashing into the Hotel sign. The gunmen dived to cover as Jake stuck several at a time with his morphed arms. They stopped firing after realizing it was futile and simply tried to avoid the madly flying clear fists that rained down on them. Some attempted to flee, sprinting towards the fire exit Jake had used; they reached the step but were immediately confronted with the horrific sight of a blue monster running up the stairs. They barely had time to turn before he was on top of them, throwing them like ragdolls.

The helicopters began to flee, but not before Jake smashed one into the side of the building. The dust began to settle, and Jake felt himself calm. Something big and fast hurtled at Jake before passing him. He was nearly knocked from his feet as a horrendous shockwave shook the whole building, as if it had been hit by a missile. Jake spun round and stepped back, his jaw dropping in shock. A huge metal humanoid stood towering over him, painted in dark red and silver, with glowing red eyes that stared down at him. He heard Beast cry out something several meters from him, but couldn't hear what he said.

The metal goliath threw out his arms and launched two missiles from the palms. Jake leapt to avoid them as they smashed into floor where he was. Cyclops opened fire and struck it's head, whilst Beast threw himself at it, but neither did any damage. Jake launched himself upwards and struck it with morphed spiked arms, but they merely bounced off the metal body. It grabbed Jake with its massive hand but he simply slipped through and slid along it's arm, striking it's head repeatedly. The glowing eyes intensified before shooting out as laser beams. Jake instantly felt the pain as his body liquidated, but as the beams when through him the struck it's arm and blasted straight through. Jake attempted to strike the weak looking neck area but was finally thrown off as it unleashed a fireball from it's mouth. As he fell he involuntarily transformed into his human form but was caught by Beast just before he struck the floor.

A strange man leapt over them and drove his spiked fists into the metal creatures leg, Jake saw Mark and Quinn run to Hack, who had taken cover next to Jubilee. Caim was tentatively checking on her whilst their team leader was busily doing something on her PDA. He was quickly set down on his feet and watched as beast jumped to join the unknown X-Man. Jake rushed to join his friends, and was greeted with a weak smile from Mark. He returned it, before looking him over concerned at seeing the catalogue of injuries that covered his body. Mark gripped his arm and gave a nod, and it was as if all his worries were gone. Mark's smile was so warm and welcoming the chaos around him seemed to calm, it was a strange feeling, not in the least uncomfortable. Jake turned to check on Jubilee, she was breathing visibly, which was a good sign.

Shrapnel from an explosion sent all of them diving for cover, Jake landed next to Hack, who was completely focused on what she was doing. He span around and watched the battle that was raging, the metal man was obviously winning, Cyclops injured, beast nearly unconscious and the stranger was taking a beating, being smashed repeatedly into the floor. Jake felt too drained to do anything, the fire had damaged his glue self and he would take time to recover.

"Gotcha!" Hack proclaimed, making Jake jump in surprise. He turned to see her smiling and stared down to her PDA, it was flashing numbers and images unbelievably fast.

Hack had finally managed to access the signal that she had detected earlier, and, just as she thought, it was being directed at the Sentinel. Guessing it was some kind of control signal she went about finding a way to counter it. Piggy backing off the signal she accessed the satellite that was controlling it. She took control, breaking it's orbit and sending it crashing at the target she chose.

She got up and whistled loudly, all the men turned and obeyed her unspoken orders, but the others had no idea what was going on.

"Back to the Blackbird, we need to get out of here." She shouted over the explosions as the Sentinel fired a series of missiles at Beast and Cyclops. "The others will hold the Sentinel for a while, get Jubilee and get going!".

Hack accessed her PDA and signaled for the blackbird to uncloak. Jake helped Caim and Mark carry Jubilee to the plane, practically sprinting up the ramp. Hack followed after them and after ensuring Jubilee was fastened in, she took the controls. The plane roared to life suddenly. Jake took a seat and watched as the three men fought the 'Sentinel', Beast boosted the stranger up and he flew up and struck the giants face, ripping out an eye. It caught him and threw him at beast, sending them both hurtling through the air. Cyclops fired, aiming at the damaged eye, but found he did little damage. The Blackbird span a few meters above the ground and faced the Sentinel, suddenly a series of loud explosions ripped over its humanoid body as the blackbird opened fire from concealed weapons in the wings. The men took the opportunity to get away and sprinted towards the plane, leaping onto the open ramp. Hack didn't hesitate; she turned the Blackbird sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding the missiles the Sentinel fired in retaliation. As soon as the ramp was closed she accelerated, just as the burning wreckage of the satellite became visible. It smashed through a tower, going straight through it and collided with the Sentinel. It was thrown backwards from the hotel.

XxXxX

Tada, here you go, that was alright wasn't it?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N This chapter starts a bit off topic but it's the best way I can think of to show the aftermath of the Vegas Incident, it has a big surprise in it, a bombshell and a half, but it'll make sense as the story progresses. It's quite long, but full of important moments. Now, everyone, meet Senator Hollander...

XxXxx

"People of America, my friends, my brothers and sisters, my fellow human kind. I come before you not a man seeking to be elected your President, but as one of you. I am just like you, just like the factory worker, the office worker, the policeman, the doctor and the honest lawyer. I feel the pain of the ordinary, over taxed, over-controlled guy on the street. I'm like you because I'm human, an honest, hard working, an all-American Human being." The man speaking with a deep southern accent behind the podium paused for a moment, staring out at the cheering crowd at filled the arena he was speaking in. "The same human blood that runs through your blood runs through mine, I feel the same emotions, I have strengths and I have my weaknesses. This is what makes me like you, and what sets me apart from the Mutant Menace."

The crowd erupted into passionate applause, Hollander stopped and waited for them to calm, his stern expression never fading from his tired old face. As the audience calmed, he began to speak again.

"They are an affliction on America; they are the cause of our woes, the reason why we are losing our greatness. America is full of violent, unemployed, atheist mutants who use their unholy powers to exploit us. They act as violent thugs but expect us to treat them like they're better than us. The have shown themselves to be little more than terrorists, destroying public property, attacking innocent civilians, harming Officers of the Law, and yet what do they want us to do? Respect their rights and privileges, and have people like Trawman forcing us to act as if we are the ones in the wrong. It doesn't have to be that way; I represent the voice of the ordinary man, the man that says no to mutant equality, to allowing them loose on our streets.

"To anyone who disagrees with me, today's attack on Las Vegas by the criminal organization called The X-Men shows exactly what they can do. Senseless, random violence ripped through the streets, Six special forces operatives were killed in the mutant attack, with countless innocents injured and millions of dollars worth of property destroyed. The mutants have no respect for the peace that we humans offered to them. It shows that no matter how many concessions we make they will never stop."

He paused for a moment to allow his reddening face to cool, before wiping the spit to from his script and continuing.

"If you vote for me to be your president I will re-introduce Mutant Registration, so that we know who and where they are. I'll legalize the mutant cure so that those who want to be like us can be. And I will abolish the equal pay laws and employment laws that discriminate against hard-working, ordinary Americans. A vote for me is a vote for change, a change of direction, a change of ideas, a change to put down trodden humans back on top."

The crowds leapt to their feet and applauded, almost deafening. Red, white and blue confetti began falling from the ceiling as Hollander stepped from behind the podium to wave to the crowd. He was quickly joined by his picture perfect family, a smiling, blonde wife in her mid-forties and two teenage children. A forced smile lined his lips as he stared out into the masses, holding placards and posters declaring their love for Hollander or their hatred for mutants.

Muffled music began blaring out from giant speakers as he took the ovation for several minutes, until finally stepping back and leading his family off the stage. As soon as they were away from the view of the crowd his 'wife' threw his hand off her shoulder and gave him a scolding look.

"How many times, no touching." She said in a nasal, whining voice, whilst he glared back.

"Look Miriam, if you want the people out there to think were a normal family, then we need to act like one." He said in a superior tone that grated through the air. "That means I have to occasionally show some affection."

"Barph, the thought of you being affectionate makes me want to be sick." His daughter proclaimed, a teenage girl with braces and small glasses.

"Watch your manners young lady, I have a good mind to-" He was cut off as an army of aides and helpers swamped them, ensuring their every whim was met before they reached their separate dressing rooms. As soon as Hollander was alone inside he practically threw himself on to the large couch along the wall and draped himself over it.

"Interesting speech, I must congratulate you on your charismatic demeanor." The voice came from the far corner of the room; it was as deep, English voice that sent a chill up Hollander's spine.

"I must say, it rather reminded me of someone." It said, emanating from a shadowed figure in the corner sitting in a small armchair. "Hmmn, I can't remember his name, a German fellow with a stupid moustache and a penchant for genocide."

"Your wit knows no bounds." Hollander replied sarcastically. "You're very clever, for a mutant."

"I wish I could say the same for you." The shadowy replied. "Then again, the fact that so many listen to you suggests that I miscalculated my admittedly low estimate of the intelligence of your race."

"What do you want mutant, I'm tired and listening to you." Hollander said.

"Come now, there is no need to be uncivil." The intruder answered. "Even humans can be civilized at times. After all, we have a great deal to discuss."

"I'm assuming your talking about that thing in Vegas, I lost six men in that little battle, not to mention a very expensive piece of equipment."

"Your friends at MIRACLE will no doubt reimburse you. It was a necessary loss; our little business arrangement must be kept secret."

"Not that it matters." Hollander said. "We will no doubt be at war very soon anyway."

XxXxX

The Blackbird descended through the cavern beneath the institute grounds, The high pitched roar of the engines as they hovered the plane onto the landing strip woke Jake from his sleep. As soon as they were away the effects of his exertions and stresses took hold, and he fell asleep.

He blinked the tiredness out of eyes and looked around. Mark seemed to be doing the same thing, he yawned and turned to face Jake before giving him sleepy smile, Jake gave one back happily. The Blackbird hit the landing pad with a bump and the two boys reluctantly got up. Behind them Quinn and Caim were already getting ready to disembark, whilst the stranger and beast were carrying Jubilee in a stretcher, with Cyclops overseeing everything.

Jake saw in the corner in the corner of his eye Hack appear to stumble. He leapt to help her, and was almost immediately joined by Mark. She stood firm but Jake could feel she was shaking, he took her hand and helped her down the walk way.

"Thank you boys." She said softly. "Today's activities have left me a little drained, I'll be fine in an couple of minutes, though I think I'm in for one hell of a headache."

They slowly walked down the ramp onto the runway whilst a group led by Xavier was hurriedly coming to meet them. A medic quickly rushed to Hack and took over from the two boys, leading her away with the other adults. Jake moved to join Caim and Quinn as Cyclops met Xavier.

"Professor, we underestimated how dangerous the mission was." Cyclops said. "Somebody didn't want us to get Jubilee back here alive, they very nearly succeeded."

A pang of guilt hit Jake in the stomach. Xavier barely looked at Cyclops, instead he focused on the four battered looking teens.

"Fortunately they didn't, Jubilee is alive, Logan was found and brought back safely, and our young X-Men performed admirably." Xavier said with a slight smile as he rolled to address them. "I read your mission report Cyclops. Despite being divided and alone, everyone kept a cool head and act in the highest standard. The doctors would like to take a look at you all, it would be wise to head to the infirmary, you all look like you have just gone ten rounds with Colossus."

XxXxX

Jake sat on a a soft infirmary bed as a doctor prodded him, lifting his arms and tapping his knee with a tiny hammer. Jake waited nervously as she checked his mouth and teeth, he hadn't brushed in several days. Finally she shone a small torch in his eyes before she ended her inspection, stepping back to look him over.

"Your fine, a little muscle fatigue but apart from that there is nothing wrong with you." She said, her voice was deep for a woman, matching her slightly masculine frame.

"To be honest Jake you look fitter than when you left." Mark said on the bed next to him. "More healthy I mean, and those clothes look good on you too."

Jake blushed and looked away. He didn't see the slight smile from Mark.

"Ca-Can I go?" Jake asked, finding his mouth suddenly unresponsive. The Doctor paused and for some, strange reason glanced to Mark before turning back.

"Yes, there's no reason for you to be here." She replied. Jake and Mark jump off their beds in unison and began to walk to the door. Suddenly the Doctor stopped Mark and promptly showed him back to his bed, Jake stopped confused.

"Not you young man, you need to stay for further tests." She said rather forcefully. "Somebody does not fall from a thirty storey building and walk away without problems. You have suffered massive internal bleeding, ruptured organs, damage to your spinal column and neck, not to mention the brain damage that was undoubtedly caused. Your healing factor may have repair the most serious but you are certainly not fully healed. You will need to remain behind for further testing."

"But I'm fine." He protested.

"You will not argue." She ordered before signaling to Caim and Quinn on the other side of the room. "Your friends require medical attention also, a broken wing and dislocated shoulder, as well as a bullet wound. Honestly, you kids are lucky to be alive."

Mark rolled his eyes and sat back to make himself more comfortable. He suddenly saw the horror and shock on Jake's face, with tears swelling in his eyes. Mark could do nothing but try to calm him with a smile. Jake was frozen to the spot, too shocked to breathe. His friends were all injured, nearly killed. He felt like he wanted to be sick and his muscles were suddenly limp. Mark's weak smile merely made him feel worse. He found he could at last move and stepped backwards before turning around and bolting out of the door. Mark leapt up and attempted to go after him but was caught by the doctor and shoved to his bed.

"Your in no fit state to be running around, you can find your friend after you have been given the all clear." She said forcefully, and after briefly attempting to protest, Mark relented.

XxXxX

Hack sat quietly on a small cushion, her legs crossed and hands clasp together on her lap. She was focusing on her deep breathes, listening closely to the small noise as it broke the silence surrounding her. She could smell the sweet sent of caramel and thyme from her scented candles, it was one of her favorite scents, given to her by Hank. A sudden rap at the door broke her perfect calm and the stabbing pain in her head seemed to flood back to her as soon as she opened her eyes.

"Come in." She shouted angrily, rubbing her temples. The door creaked open agonizingly; send the daggers in her head shooting down her back. She didn't need to turn to see who it was the distinctive smell of musk and cinnamon instantly told her who it was.

"Hank, I was relaxing, my head feels like it has a thousand nails hammered into it." She said petulantly. "Unless you have the world's strongest aspirin, go away."

"Something better, herbal tea, your favorite blend." He replied, she didn't need to see his face to know he was smiling. A cup of sweet smelling tea was placed next to her by a big blue hand. "You deserve it after what you did today. You were absolutely amazing Natasha."

"When am I not" She replied sarcastically as she put the cup to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. It tasted of apples, and honey, with a hint of lemon and mint. She couldn't help the slight moan of pleasure slipping from her lips. Hank knelt next to her, clasping his own cup of darker tea.

"You were pretty good too." She conceded, allowing a small smile to spread across her own lips. "I wouldn't have made it out of there alive without you."

"We make a good team." He said softly. "Its one of the reasons I love you so much."

"Hank, I know I didn't say back in Vegas. I should have, seeing Jubilee made me realize how dangerous the whole thing really was." Hank gently gripped her arm and stared into her eyes, his were a powerful dark blue, almost black. "But, I love you too."

Hank pulled her softly into his embrace and they kissed softly, to lost in the moment to notice they had spilt their tea.

XxXxX

Jake sat on his bed, his back leant against the wall with his eyes closed and arms folded. Mark frowned slightly before quietly pushing open the door. Mark quickly saw his friends tear soaked red cheeks and his heart sank. He resisted the urge to disturb him, instead he sat on the end of his own bed, unsure of what to do. He looked out of the window, the grey sky made grounds of the manor as bleak and dull as his mood. He scanned the familiar room, feeling as though something was odd about it. Their clothes littered the floor, Mark's books were spread out across his bed and things were hanging out of their drawers and cupboards. The room was untidy, which was very unusual since both he and Jake would spend a great deal of time making sure everything was in it's correct place. But neither had had the time to clean since the previous day.

Mark turned to his friend, his neutral expression unsettled Mark who was used to Jake's cheesy grin. That grin was the first thing Mark saw when he first met him. Mark had only been at the institute for a few hours, having walked for nearly a month through sleet and snow to get there. He'd met Xavier and was shown a room, his room, where he fell asleep on one of the beds. He awoke to find Jake hovering over him, his face was lit up with the huge, happy grin stretching from ear to ear. He skinny boy shook Mark's hand and happily introduced himself. The two had just jelled ever since, becoming close friends. Mark was comfortable around Jake, he trusted him, which is not something he did easily. That grin had slowly become one of his favorite sights, every time he was down or unhappy he would see Jake and suddenly things got brighter. Mark hated his friend's unhappiness and wanted to be able to do something so much, but had no idea what. He sighed heavily, Jake's eyes opened and he looked around alarmed until seeing Mark. He relaxed instantly but didn't smile, instead looking down at his lap.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep." Mark said softly. Jake only shook his head slightly whilst still looking down. Mark sighed again before getting up and walking over to the small desk next to Jake's bed and inspected Jake's beloved fish. He had three altogether, his goldfish Mystery and Hunter and a colorful one called Stormy.

"I need to feed them, I haven't done it in a few days." Jake said, little more than an emotionless whisper. Mark turned to his friend, who was staring back at him with sore, bloodshot eye's. Mark stopped for a moment to compose himself before pulling out one of the desk drawers.

"I'll do it." Mark assured as he took out a small box full of tiny multi-colored flakes. Jake sat up and leant closer and watched as Mark sprinkled a pinch of the flakes into the bowl. "Is that enough?" He asked. Jake nodded and leant onto his hands as he watch his fish whilst Mark's attention remained on him. Time seemed to stretch out as they stayed that way for several minutes.

"I wouldn't think you would find watching them interesting." Mark finally said. "You don't like things like TV."

"TV's different, it's lifeless and scripted." Jake replied. "My fish are full of life, you can't predict what they're going to do next. I don't know, there's just something rewarding about watching them after I put in so much work."

"I never thought of it like that. Have you ever thought about getting something, I don't know, bigger?"

"You mean like a cat or dog?" Jake said, finally perking up. "I'd love to, but I had a dog once before, before I went to the orphanage." Jake seemed to wither and return to how he was before. Mark cursed silently at coming so close to bringing Jake out of his shell. Finally he gave into the urge to do something, and crouched down in front of Jake and grabbed his hand suddenly. His friend looked visibly shocked as he stared wide eyed at Mark.

"Listen Jake, I don't like to see you like this." He pleaded. "Seeing you hurt so badly, it's painful, I want you to be happy. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Jake sat motionless for a brief second before tears began to fall from his cheeks. Mark reached up and pull his head to wrest onto his should, feeling the urge to cry as well. He began to comfort him, quietly soothing him as he wept into his shoulder.

"Wh-why do you c-care." Jake stutted through his tears. "I abandoned y-you in that alley, y-you near-nearly died."

"Don't be ridiculous, I don't blame you." Mark assured. "I was glad when you got to safety, you did what you had to do."

"But I failed, Jubilee nearly died because I wasn't strong enough."

Mark tightened his grip as he shook his head. "Oh Jake, it was not your fault." He said. "You were amazing, I've never seen you like that, why are you blaming yourself?"

"Because it is my fault, everything is." Jake replied. "If I weren't a mutant everything would be perfect, I would have a family that loves me, lot's of friends, I wouldn't act weird."

"Don't say that, it's not true, you have me and Quinn and Caim, we love you just the way you are."

"Why? How can you stand me?" He asked painfully.

"Because your a good person."

"Then why do I feel so wrong, why was I treated like a monster at the orphanage?" Mark pulled Jake back and locked his eyes with his friend.

"You aren't wrong, the people who made you feel that way are." He said. Jake pushed himself away and turned his gaze to the window, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

"But these feelings I have, they're so painful." He said whilst pointing to his chest. "I feel things that are not natural, I feel things for you and Caim and Lars that I don't feel for girls. I'm wrong, I'm evil, I'm like the man who came into my room in the orphanage at night."

Mark sat back shocked, and felt his grip on his friends hand loosen. He couldn't take in what he had just heard, the pain in his voice combined with the admittance of, of having feelings for other guys. But the true extent of what Jake had admitted hadn't properly sunk in until he had properly thought it over in his head. '-The man who came into my room in the orphanage at night'. Mark realized what that meant, and suddenly things became clearer, though he wished they hadn't.

Marked fixed his gaze back onto his friend and looked determinedly into his dark hazelnut eyes. He didn't know why, but at that moment he lost all thought and reason, he want so much to rid Jake of all the pain and hurt. As he stared into those eyes, full of agony and misery, he found something grip his heart and send slight shiver down his spine. He had to do something.

He hadn't realized how close he had got until he felt Jake breath on his cheek, and found the other boy staring at him startled, yet he didn't move away. Mark felt his lips touch Jake's, only slightly, but that touch was enough to send his head spinning. Their lips pressed against one another as undiscovered urges took hold briefly, he felt Jake react, kissing back for a moment. Suddenly they were shattered as s pair of hands pushes his shoulders and forced him away.

Mark came to his senses to find Jake staring at him with a expression mixed with shock and confusion. Before Mark could say or do anything Jake got up and ran out, leaving Mark feeling confused and dejected. He rushed after Jake but found the corridor outside deserted with no signs of where he went.

XxXxX

A/N Awww, is all I can say. Will they get together? We'll have to find out. If your reading this yaoiboy (Mark's creator), review pleeeeaaassseee! I warned that this would have some adult themes, but things do get better for poor old Jake. I'll be sending all new chapters to my beta again from now on, I just couldn't wait to post this.

What did you think of Hollander, and his mysterious accomplice. And of course the other (more successful) romance between Hank and Natasha. Please R&R, please. New readers who review will have their name placed in the story at some point, Kstar and Yaoiboy will be in it soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Kitchie ran as fast as he could down the corridors of the sleeping institute. It was all he could think to do, he didn't want to face Mark, to see anyone, and he just wanted to be alone. Things were better when he was alone, he could just not think. He didn't have to pretend or face questions, he could just hide away. He didn't know where he was going, but anywhere would do.

He found himself reach a dead end, the corridor ended and lead only to the South Lounge area. He slowed down and walked inside. It was lushly decorated and full of the TV's much like the lounge he normally went to. But it was much smaller, without the vending machines and sofas. It also strangely smelt of smoke.

"You alright kid?" Said a voice behind him, Jake spun round in surprise to find the stranger he had seen on the mission sitting by a small table not far from the door with a glass in his hand. A bottle of amber liquid sat on the table, next to the remains of stumped out cigar. Jake smiled politely before heading for the door.

"You look like you need to sit down." The stranger said. "Here, pull up a seat."

Not wanting to offend the rather scary looking man, Jake obeyed, though made sure not to make eye contact as he sat opposite him. The man poured some of the liquid in the glass and slid it over to him. Jake eyed it up, not entirely sure what it was meant to be. The smell of it burnt the hair in his nostrils and so he could tell that it probably wasn't apple juice.

"Try it, but its best not to sip it, just drink it all in one go." The man said. Jake looked unconvinced at it, how bad could it be, he wondered. Then again, he had once tried a taste from one of Quinn's secret drinks and the liquid from that made him sick. She said it was vodka, and that it was a gift from her cousin. He thought it was more like bleach.

"Trust me; with the way you look, it might help." He added. Jake took a deep breath and grabbed the glass. He brought it up to his mouth and drank, slowly, allowing it to pool briefly at the back of his throat before it glided down. At first his mouth tingled, but then it began to burn, leaving a trail of agonizing pain wherever the liquid touched. He was thrown into a fit of coughing and spluttering, which seemed to amuse the stranger.

"I told you not to sip it." He said as he began to pat the boy on the back whilst smirking. After a minute or two Jake stopped coughing and the pain subsided. He was left with a stinging tongue and a foul taste in his mouth, but oddly he wanted more. As if sensing what Jake was thinking the man reached over and poured slightly less liquid than before into his glass. This time Jake followed what the man said, throwing back the drink without letting it linger in his mouth. The pain returned, but was less intense than before and he only coughed for a few seconds.

"I think you've had enough after this glass." The stranger said as he added more liquid. "It's your first time, and a little frame like yours can't handle too much brandy. I don't want to get you drunk. So then, why are running around late at night? Something's obviously wrong."

"I err, I don't know, trying to get away I guess." Jake said before throwing back the drink, this time he only pulled a pained face before settling down.

"From what?" The man asked.

"From, I don't know." Jake said, feeling slightly dizzy. "From everything."

"I knew a man who ran from 'everything' once." The man said before taking a mighty swill of the whiskey straight from the bottle. "Trouble was, everything kept following him. Eventually he couldn't run no more and everything caught up with him."

"I'm a fast runner." Jake said back, he felt the dizziness turn to an odd buzz over the course of a few seconds.

"You probably are, but it's harder to keep running than just stop and take it." The stranger retorted.

"Sorry, I never asked who you are." Jake said, looking straight at him for the first time.

"Logan, or Wolverine if you prefer." The man replied, taking another drink from the bottle. "And you're Jake, I was told about you on the flight back from Vegas. So tell me Jake, why are you running."

"Because it feels easier, I tried to pretend, but that didn't work. I tried to deny it, but in the end, nobody was fooled, so I ran." He said casually.

"You could face up to your problems." Logan suggested.

"But I'm afraid what we happen if I do." Jake said in a more somber tone.

"The way I see it, you're plainly not happy like this, so why not just let what happened happen." Logan asked.

"It's not that simple, there are things in my past I never want to think about again." Jake replied, beginning to feel the fear returning.

"You know Jake; life is full of painful memories. Things happen that you don't want to remember because you're afraid the feelings will be too painful." The man said. "But if you don't deal with them, they'll ruin the good times."

Jake paused, listening to what was being said. It made perfect sense to him, perhaps he should stop running, and it wasn't making him feel any better. He'd hid for too long, it was time he faced up to what was happening. Jake wondered why it was suddenly so clear, then Logan took another drink and it suddenly became obvious where his new-found confidence had come from.

"I need some advice." He said slowly. "I, I think I'm gay. Is that bad."

Logan stopped mid-swig and stared in shock at the boy. He lowered the bottle from his lips slowly and placed it on the table before sitting back quietly.

"What makes you think it's bad." He said carefully.

"I, I was always told it was wrong." Jake said. "That it wasn't natural."

"Jake, I'm pretty sure it aint natural to be able to turn your body into super glue, does that make you wrong?" Logan asked, Jake frowned looked away. "I meant do you feel unnatural.'Cause if it don't then it aint."

"I don't know." Jake said before looking straight into Logan's eyes. "It feels strange; I don't know what it feels like."

"Jake, there you are." Jake looked around to see the familiar sight of Mark behind him, looking worried as usual. But it was more than that, he looked drained and unwell. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Sorry, I just needed to get away, I'm sorry." Jake replied.

"Don't be." He said, he seemed to see Logan for the first time, and then he noticed the bottle. "Have you been drinking?"

"Not as such, a harmless amount." Logan said as he got up. "But it had the intended effect; you seem much more relaxed Jake. Now, I'll leave you two alone, I have a feeling you'll be needing to talk."

He sauntered off out of the door leaving the two boys facing each other in silence. Mark pulled out the chair Logan was sitting on and sat himself in front of Jake.

"Since when did you start drinking?" Mark asked with a slight smile.

"Since I started hanging out with strange men." Jake replied, which sent Mark into hysterics. A questioning look told his that Jake hadn't intended to make a joke, which seemed to make it funnier.

"Has my kiss sent you that far over the edge?" Mark asked with a smile, but Jake looked even more confused. "Can we talk, without you running away?"

"Yeah, I don't want to run anymore." Jake said confidently. Mark didn't know whether this was Jake or the alcohol talking, but it didn't matter. If Jake was ready to talk, he was ready to listen.

Mark began by asking him about why he seemed so depressed all of a sudden. Jake explained how the Baseball game had brought back memories, which lead to him reciting the incident the first time he used his powers. Mark listened intently, offering supporting comments where needed but generally just staying quiet and looking friendly. Jake went on the orphanage, how he felt isolated and was bullied. Mark wanted to press him about what he had said earlier, about the man, but decided against it. Finally, Jake explained how he had been affected by the recent events. He had been overwhelmed by it all, seeing Jubilee get shot, hearing how badly wounded the others were, it scared him. Jake sat looking at his hands throughout, occasionally glancing up to see Mark's warm smile.

"I'm sorry." He said once he finished. "I've been selfish, all I've thought about is me, and you must think I'm stupid or something."

Mark shifted closer and put his hand on his shoulder. "No I don't, I've been worried. I miss the old Kitchie, the one I couldn't shut up. The one with the silly smile. I understand that some of that was a cover, but I liked seeing you happy."

"It wasn't a cover when I was with you." Jake said quietly, his lips finally curling into a small smile.

"I'm glad. But there's something you still haven't told me about." Mark said, his stare becoming slightly more serious. "You don't have to, but I'd like to know what happened."

Jake bit his lip and froze for a moment. Finally he nodded, before saying "OK, I'll tell you"...

XxXxX

A/N Cliffhanger, but not for long, I'm writing the next chapter now, so it'll be up by the time you read this.

I got tired of Jake running away, and didn't want to repeat everything I already wrote, I hope you like it. What happened to Jake in the orphanage is not graphic, but still quite sad. Hopefully it'll make sense and you'll like it.


	11. Chapter 11

Jake was only twelve when he was abandoned at the orphanage. He was practically thrown out of the car by the man who he had once called Dad. The man seemed like a stranger to him now, looking angry and uncaring as he chucked Jake's only belongings on the sidewalk, he would have thrown his goldfish too if Jake hadn't managed to grab them from out of the car before him. The man said nothing as he got back into the car next to his mother, who hadn't even looked at her son the whole time. The car roared to life and a moment later was gone, leaving Jake behind with tears streaming down his cheeks.

A woman, tall and fat with a wart on her top lip, marched out to him from the dilapidated building. Her expression was harsh and uncaring; she didn't bat an eyelid at the small, skinny little boy weeping before her. She simply told him to follow in a deep, prudish voice and lead him inside. The orphanage was dark and dirty, with tiled floors and walls. It seemed more like an asylum than a place for children, not even the sounds seemed childish. Crying and screaming were the only sounds the children were making, from that moment Jake knew he was likely in for a hellish time.

The woman hurriedly showed him to his room, little more than a closet with two bunk beds on either side. He was practically shoved inside and the door slammed shut behind him and locked. The place was definitely not a normal orphanage. Three hours later and the door burst open and three boys, around his age, marched in. They began inspecting the new boy the way a pack of wolves stalk a lone deer. They never laid a finger on Jake, not the whole time Jake was there, but they intimidated him.

At first Jake's time there was lonely; he was ignored by everyone, including the staff. Meals were at eight a.m. two p.m and seven p.m. If you didn't get there on time you would not be served. The cook seemed to enjoy it when she could refuse the kids, and any complaint was met with the punishment. There was only one way they discipline you in that orphanage, you would be locked in the 'recreational room', or, to give it it's true title, the cellar. It was an unsanitary, damp, dark cage with an 'out of order' sign on the door. Jake had found himself in there for days on end for little or no reason.

What he didn't know was that the staffs were steadily becoming aware of his 'true nature', and were punishing him for it. Soon, not just the staff, but the other kids were aware of it to. Whereas his roommates didn't give damn, many other kids did. He spent his thirteenth birthday locked in a closet under the stairs after he had been thrown in there by a mob of kids.

He was finally released by a staff member, a tall man in his early thirties. He seemed to like Jake, and it was as if his life got better for a while after that. The bullying seemed to lose its severity and he could at last talk to someone who didn't act like he cared about what Jake was. Jake didn't know it, but the man was being friendly for a reason. Jake found his roommates were suddenly quiet when ever he was around, but it wasn't until a few months later that he finally found out why.

Jake never slept well even before he had arrived at the orphanage, so he was awake when the door opened and the man walked in quietly. He crept over to his bunk, but never even looked at Jake, instead he climbed on top. The sounds he heard shattered him. Pleading, crying, worse. The next morning Jake tried to speak to the boy to be nice, and was nearly punched as a result.

He quickly found that he was not the only one the man visited, all three suffered at his hands. They seemed so angry, but at the same time he felt like they were resigned to their fate. Then Jake made the biggest mistake of his life, he went to the woman he had met when he first came and told her everything. The result was a week in the 'recreational room'. But once he was out his life seemed became unbearable. Suddenly the man who he had once trusted started to insult him, he would punish him for nothing and torment him whenever he was alone. Suddenly, when he entered their room he would and beat him then blame the injuries on his roommates. At the same time he seemed to be tormenting them even more as well, in more horrible, disgusting ways. He was torturing all of them, and nobody did anything to stop them.

Then one day, an old man in a wheelchair visited the orphanage and asked specifically for Jake. He wasn't alone; a blonde headed man in his twenties was with him, the man Jake only ever knew as 'Frostman'.

The old man said that Jake would be coming with them, that he would be safe where he was going. Jake couldn't believe what he was hearing; he nearly fainted there and then. They left so Jake could pack his things, only for him to be joined by his tormentor. Jake had never been as scared as the man ranted and threatened him. But neither of the realized that Frostman was standing by the door, listening and waiting. When the man realized that he had been revealed he launched himself as Jake, ready to kill him. But he was yanked back the mysterious stranger and collided instead with his hard fist.

Jake felt the world begin to spin, exhausted and overwhelmed, and fainted in the arms of his savior. When he woke he was in a warm bed, the bed he had slept in ever since. He was safe, though it took a while for him to accept it. He didn't know what happened to the man, he could only hope that he was arrested, or at least fired, and that the other boys were safe too.

XxXxX

As Jake finished reciting what had happened Mark sat back and breathed out heavily. He was bombarded with a mix of emotions, sadness, sympathy, anger, but also relief.

"So, he never, did anything to you." Mark strained to say, hoping Jake would understand despite his vagueness.

"Like the others, no, he viewed more like an animal." Jake said, he had surprised himself by the way he had managed to keep it together. "Because I was a mutant he didn't treat me like a human."

"I'm sorry, what happened was just awful. But the thought of him, argh, I don't think I could bare it if he had." Mark said looking away, trying to control his emotions. "I'm so sorry, I, I shouldn't have made you go through all that, and I hope you don't hate me."

Jake didn't say anything; Mark finally looked up to see him smiling widely.

"I'm glad I said it. I don't have to hide anything anymore." Jake said happily. "Thank you; you're the best friend ever. I was scared you wouldn't want to be friends if I told you, that you would think I was dirty or being stupid, I was wrong. Now I've told you, I don't feel scared anymore. I feel like I have someone to talk to."

Jake leapt forward and threw himself around Mark, who simply smiled as well.

"You should have told me in the first place." Mark proclaimed. "I was always there for you to talk to."

"Thank you, just thank you." Jake said back, not letting go of his vice like grip.

"Ok Kitchie, I'd like to have my head back now." He said. "You're making it hard for me to breathe."

Jake let go and stood back, still smiling. "Sorry. I think the alcohol might be wearing off, can we go to bed now." He said coyly.

"Ha-ha, yeah sure. Err, there's one more thing we need to talk about." Mark said as he got up to follow his friend.

"In the morning or whenever we get up. I think the suns starting to rise, so were up really late. It's a good thing it's a Saturday or we'd be in big trouble. Though, since were recovering from our mission still, they wouldn't have expected us to go to lessons would they?"

Mark sighed, which quickly turned into a yawn. He was still shocked by everything Kitchie said, but he was too tired to take it all in. Right now he was content, Jake was happy, that was all that mattered. They could now face his demons together, with Quinn and Caim's help of course.

XxXxX

The Institute was asleep, with the exception of Jake and Mark and one other. Quietly, in his room, Lars was still awake. He was building something resembling a crossbow, whilst scribbling something in a notepad.

Suddenly, his computer in the corner flashed. He instantly leapt up and hurried over to it. As he expected it was a new message. He clicked on it and the message appeared on his screen.

"B.L. move to stage two. X-men getting close."

He smirked to himself, a sinister glint shone in his eye. At last, he thought, he would be able to kill the morons he had come to despise. It was only a matter of time.

XxXxX

A/N Ta da, happy birthday Mystery Hunter, dat was my pressie, sorry, I know it's not a very good one but I made Jake happy especially for you. This is the end of part one, I hope you liked it. Jake's going to be happier from now on, he's facing his demons, but that's not the end of his problems.

Frostman is no relation to Iceman, though has similar powers. He will be explained when a few new (old) faces turn up, some because they want to cause trouble, others because their forced to. Wait and see.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N I'm back, I apologise for my long absence but before you yell at me, look a new chapter :D

Jake groaned loudly as a ray of light that had broken through the curtains blinded him, sending daggers racing through his spine. He turned over to found that the movement hurt even more, as though his entire body was screaming in agony. It took a while before he remembered the cause of his problems, his few glasses of 'brandy'. Suddenly the light was gone, blocked by a shadow looming over him.

"Morning partner, you want some coffee, you look like you need it." Jake turned over painfully to find Mark standing over him, smiling gently with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. Jake did his best to nod and sat up before just managing to hold on to the hot cup.

"You look terrible." Mark said as he sat on the bed opposite Jake. "I think you should stay away from alcohol from now on, you obviously can't take it."

He seemed chipper, whilst Jake felt miserable, he was right about the alcohol, and it wasn't good. Memories of the night before kept spinning in his head. Mark knew everything, all his dark secrets and painful memories. He tried to clear his head by sipping the coffee, it didn't work but it did burn his tongue.

"Jake, I need to say something, about what happened yesterday." Mark said, suddenly sounding quite serious which sent a wave of alarm over Jake.

"What about?" He croaked, his voice was coarse and raspy, nothing like his usual higher pitched squeal.

"About the, kiss." Mark replied slowly, sounding uncomfortable about where he was taking their conversation. "I'm sorry that I scared you, I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine." Jake broke in.

"The thing is Jake, I'm gay. I have known for a while but I was too scared to tell anyone, you're like my best friend, I care about you." He said, his gaze focusing on a small stain on the carpet. "And, I like you, as in 'like you'."

Jake didn't know how to react, he felt something welling inside him but he couldn't figure out what it meant. Mark seemed desperate for Jake to say something, but he couldn't figure out what to say.

"I, err…" Jake finally said. He thought for a moment about what Logan said the night before and about how he felt, he liked Mark and when he thought about it, he liked the kiss. "I like you too." He admitted.

Mark smiled and moved over, pulling his friend close into a hug. Jake closed his eyes and soaked in the comforting warmth of Mark's body. It felt nice, as though relief washed over him.

"Why don't we go somewhere, if you're up to it?" Mark whispered softly. That idea sound perfect, Jake still felt terrible but simply being with Mark pushed the pain away.

"That's a good idea." Jake said, some normality returning to his voice. "But can you hug me a little more first."

The sunlight was warm and comforting as Jake trekked across the dirt path leading from the Institute, it was late morning, nearly noon and the sun was high above them. They should actually be in geography right now but he didn't actually care. Besides Mark's reasoning was sound, they deserved some time to relax after their ordeal in Las Vegas, its events still burning in Jake's mind. He needed to check on Jubilee when they got back, he wanted to know if she was okay.

Mark walked a little way in front of him, backpack full of food and water resting on his shoulder. Is shirt was loose; hiding the boy's lean, muscular frame, but his arms showed that he was athletic and strong. Jake realised he was suddenly allowing himself to think Mark was attractive, something he would normally desperately repress. However, since he had already admitted it to Mark, he needed to do the same for himself; he thought Mark was good looking. His friend glanced back to check on him, shooting a smile that turned Jake's legs to jelly, thankfully not physically. His own smile had returned a gentle but happy one.

The grounds beyond the institute were beautiful and rugged, the forest stretched through right across to the state line and beyond. Jake wasn't aware of anybody from the institute who had actually explored them, but he doubted they'd be the first. Once they were beyond the view of the school Mark stopped. For a brief moment, Jake was confused before Mark took his hand. "Come on." He said, walking at a slightly faster pace with Jake's hand in his grasp.

Inside the forest was dark as the sunlight struggled to break through the canopy. They stuck to a natural trail through the vines and bushes as the headed deeper into the forest. Jake was content to follow his friend, who was holding his hand. He thought briefly, about how Mark seemed to be growing taller than he was all the time, he was once a lot shorter.

"Do you want to take a rest?" Mark asked. Jake nodded as they reached a spot just above a stream and laid back in the soft grass. Jake looked at Mark, who was rifling through the rucksack. Some heavy was weighing on his chest.

"Mark, do you want to be with me?" He asked. The boy froze.

"What do you mean?" He said, feigning ignorance.

"You know, be in a relationship." Jake cursed himself for making sound so formal but he struggled to find the right thing to say.

"Yes." Mark answered simply, turning to Jake. Jake found the butterflies in his stomach were becoming unbearable and did something he never thought he would do. He lent towards his friend who did the same, and their lips touched gently. Unlike before Jake let himself enjoy it, and found their kiss grow stronger as they pressed together for more. It lasted until Jake found he was being starved of oxygen and gently pulled away.

"That was nice." Jake said happily. Mark gently pushed him onto his back before kissing once more, this time with more intensity and passion. Jake wrapped his hand in longish brown locks, his mind focusing only on the sensation of soft wet lips firmly but gently press against his own, their mouths parted to allow their tongues to roam freely. Jake caressed Mark's back whilst holding him close, tingling at the feeling of Mark's cool fingers rub his sides gently. Mark stopped and looked at Jake, his eyes burning.

"Jake, I want to be with you." He said softly. "I want to hold you and kiss you, I love being with you, I love you."

Jake grinned sleepily; "You love me?" He asked happily.

"Of course I do." Mark replied, bringing his head closer, their eyes still locked.

"Mark, I have something to tell you." Jake said.

"What?"

"I'm gay." He said giggling softly before bringing Mark's head back to his own. They kissed passionately, not caring about the time, thoughts of the day before forgotten. All they cared about at that moment was each other.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: the GINX universe has inspired me, and I really want to get this finished so that I can write another Kitchie story that kind of follows on from this one, so I'm going to storm through this with renewed vigour. I'll try to ensure that it's good though, don't worry. Four chapters are up. 1.

Natasha disliked the Mission Room when the senior X-Men gathered. It only ever happened when something was very wrong and a sense of dread was thick in the air. She had recovered since the Las Vegas mission but unlike Jake who had been 'distracted', the events burnt in her mind. The room was packed with most a lot of the original X-Men, Xavier, Logan and Scott addressed them, Natasha and Hank stood not too far away from the front with Ororo, Rogue, and Gambit. The others, Colossus, Iceman and Jean Grey stood around listening patiently.

"We were tracking someone our informant suggested was connected to Magneto when we were attacked." Logan explained. He had been talking for several minutes about how he came to be in Las Vegas. "In the course of the fighting Jubilee and I got separated, I tried to find her but my PDA wasn't working properly, I suspect they were jamming our communications. Obviously the range of the disruption wasn't very far as Jubilee was able to get a distress message to you guys."

"That may not be strictly true. The message was difficult to make out." Hank interrupted. "I suspect you are correct in your assumption they were jamming communications, and that Jubilee was on the edge of the jammer's range when she made her distress signal."

"They must have used highly advance technology to target just your communicators." Ororo said. "I do not think even we have such advanced equipment."

"I think that this should be discussed later." Xavier said with a raise of his hand. "Please continue Logan."

"There's not much more I can say that wasn't in _Shade's_ report already." He said, using his nickname for Scott. "I pretty was searching for Jubilee until I noticed the kids wandering the streets, after I knew you guys had arrived I traced back to the Blackbird to find the Sentinel tearing apart the building. What we found out just before we were attacked is more important."

"What'd you mean" Asked Gambit.

"We found out that mutant was, none other Magneto's half naked, blue right hand."

"What was Mystique doing in Vegas?" Iceman asked, spitting out her name.

"We believe ruining Trawman's election campaign. It helps to explain the photos of her supposed affair." Xavier answered. "We knew that Magneto was connected to this election in some way, this confirms it."

"Ok, I'll state the obvious." Rogue said "Why would Magneto be helping some mutant hating ass to win the presidential election?"

"That is what we need to find out. Magneto always has a hidden plot behind everything he does. We cannot allow him to succeed." Xavier said. "We need to bring in Mystique, she the most obvious link to find out what is happening. Cerebro has had difficulty locating her, but I believe that Mystique is or was recently in New York. It is crucial that she be apprehended, for that reason I am deploying all X-Men teams to Manhattan immediately."

"Professor, does that include my team." Natasha asked. "I think they need time to recuperate after the Vegas incident."

"Your team's status is under review, until that is resolved you are not on active duty." Scott said.

"What does that mean?" She said harshly. "You can't seriously be suggesting you end my team."

"Not permanently, but the events in Vegas showed that they may not be ready for serious missions." Scott replied. "They were injured quite seriously, you have to ask whether it would have been different had a more experienced team been deployed instead."

"My team performed as well as any other in a hard situation." Natasha retorted. "I think they did very well, if anyone's performance is in question it is that of the senior X-Men who led the mission." Hank's gentle hand on her shoulder prevented her from losing it.

"I agree with Natasha." He said calmly.

"I think that it is necessary for Hack's team to be allowed some time to recover." Xavier soothed. "Their performance will be reviewed fully and fairly, as is right for X-Men their age, don't worry, and I don't believe their future as X-Men is in doubt. That does not mean that Beast and yourself cannot travel to New York, we need all the X-Men available."

Natasha allowed herself to calm down. "Yes professor." She said calmly.

"Fantastic, I have been looking forward to seeing the computer geek couple in action." Iceman joked. "Just don't drop another satellite onto us."

Mark rested his head gently on Jake's shoulder and wrapped an arm around him. They'd returned back from forest to find their lounge empty as everyone was still in class and decided to chill in front of the television. They traded small kisses occasionally as they watched some daytime soap opera, it was boring and badly acted but neither boy cared. Mark had never felt so happy, it was strange but he didn't know whether the true word was 'happy' or something more meaningful, he thought happiness seemed rather unstated.

"We should go to the mall this Saturday, together. We could see a movie or have lunch at a nice restaurant." Jake said cheerily. "I need to get some new clothes anyway."

Mark didn't reply, it sounded like a great idea but he didn't want or need to speak, he was content to listen. He liked seeing Jake happy and excited. Mark was suspicious of people naturally, and didn't trust easily yet he had liked Jake ever since they met. Mark had just arrived and was unsure of what to do when Jake, in his happy-go-lucky style sat next to him with the biggest grin her had ever seen and spoke to him. He was so friendly and happy.

Mark had lived on the streets as he travelled alone to the Institute, his time had given him the impression no one was nice unless they got something for it. Jake had proved him wrong from the moment they met.

"Mark, what should we do?" Jake asked a tint of concern in his voice. "Should we hide the fact were together or tell everyone? How do you think they'd react if they found out? It's not like if we didn't hide it no one would notice"

"Why should we hide, I don't think we have anything to be ashamed of." Mark answered proudly. "It's no one's business if were together, I want to enjoy our time together." Jake was still clearly unsure.

"Don't worry about what other's think." Mark assured, pulling the other closer to him. "If they have a problem with you they don't deserve your time. I love you Jake, because to me you're perfect."

Mark kissed him softly to soothe him. Jake relaxed and smiled again.

"If you think I'm perfect you're not as smart as I thought." He joked and chuckled gently. Mark smiled but secretly thought 'You _are _perfect'.

"We don't have to shove it people's faces." Mark said "I just want to be able to kiss in public, that's all."

Jake nodded and leant in for a hug, Mark doing the same and they slumped against the sofa in each other's arms.

"I like being with you." Jake said softly. They had just gotten comfortable when the bell rang, disturbing them from their peace. Mark stretched out and went to grab some food from the vendor. Kids started to wander in and soon any hope of more alone time was over. Instead they tucked into a small feast of snacks and talked about music for a few minutes.

"There you are." Quinn said behind them. "I was wondering where you guys wandered off to."

"We went for a walk." Jake said happily. "How are you?"

"You know me, always one step ahead of the guy trying to kill me." She said as he slumped between them. "My wing hurts like a bitch but I'm fine."

"Shame, I was hoping to finally get rid of you." Mark remarked, earning him a swift jab to his sensitive ribs.

"Shut it you." Quinn shot before joking. "You missed classes, you dirty truants."

"Were not in trouble are we?" Jake said concerned.

"No, but they made me go, how is that fair!" She said grumpily.

"Where's Caim?" Mark asked, expecting her to say the usual 'hiding somewhere' or 'under the stairs'.

"Caim's behind you." He said surprising the three of them as their fourth teammate moved round to sit on the floor in front of them. "Lars is in the gym." He added briefly. Mark wasn't too interested, he didn't know the guy all that and if he was honest didn't really want to. He turned his attention to Jake, who looked concerned again.

"Guys, I need to check on Jubilee, could you come with me." Jake said. They turned to him and agreed straight away.

"Sure Kitchie, no problem." Quinn said. "Err, will you be okay around the infirmary Caim, what about the blood." But Caim dismissed her concerns straight away.

A strong smell of disinfectant always filled the air whenever Jake went near the infirmary. It was also cold, as though the thermostat was permanently set on the lowest setting for some reason. It was quite an intimidating place to enter, though only because of the importance it had rather than any physical features. They were greeted by a stern Nurse he inspected them before looking at them condescendingly.

"Can I help you?" She said, obviously believing them to be wandering around.

"Err, yes." Jake said politely. "I'd like to see Jubilee. I want to make sure she's alright."

"Are you related?" She said without dropping her harsh tone.

"Jake was there when she was shot, he protected her." Quinn said with obvious annoyance.

"We just want to know she's ok." Mark said apologetically. She eyed them one last time before conceding, leading them to a bed surrounded by medical machines. She was very pale; her eyes shut her breathing barely noticeable.

"She is very ill and cannot answer you." The nurse said. "Be brief."

Jake knelt beside her bed and gently grabbed her hand. He was scared by the tubes and wires covering coming from her. He spoke softly. "Get better, you have too." Mark knelt beside him and wrapped and arm around his shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss into his forehead.

"Don't worry, she's a fighter you know that." He comforted. Quinn was confused but said nothing as Mark held Jake. Jake didn't seem to notice but in fact Mark's presence was what kept him together as he watched over Jubilee. He felt responsible for her since it was his objective to protect her, and she was so nice to him.

It only lasted a minute or so. The nurse returned and said they needed to leave, though she did so more gently. They left quickly and headed back up into the main Mansion.

"You two okay." Quinn asked, not sure how to put. She noticed Caim was interested too, confirming that something was indeed 'odd' and that she wasn't going crazy.

"Err, yeah, were fine." Mark said. "I think an explanation is fair, you guys should be the first to know." Jake's heart leapt, a thousand scenarios raced through his mind, all of which involved his two best friends getting mad.

"Jake and I, were, together." Mark declared. "As in romantically together."

"Since when?" Caim asked surprised.

"Today, kind of, I've known I'm gay for a long time, Jake just came to terms with it." Mark answered, "We stopped hiding it from each other and were now together."

"You're okay with it aren't you?" Jake said.

"You think I care about you guys being gay." Quinn replied indifferently. "You are who you are, mutant, gay, whatever."

"Quinn's right." Caim stated. Jake reacted by pulling them both into a hug, beaming gleefully and didn't let go until he was pried away gently. "Thanks guys, I love you" He said.

"There's nothing to thank us for." Caim insisted. "We'd be pretty bad people not to accept you.

Jack wrapped his arms around his 'boyfriend', he didn't know what to call it, and planted a peck on his cheek. What a difference a day makes, he thought before humming the tune to the in head as they walked back up to the mansion.

A/N Answers, progression and cuteness, it's the best I can offer. I don't claim to write award winning stuff but I like it so blah.


	14. Chapter 14

Car journeys when Hack was in a bad mood were always rough, especially when she was behind the wheel. The hour drive to Manhattan was hard going for Beast.

"Scott is not breaking up my team!" Hack yelled. Beast recoiled away to try and lessen the pain to his ears. "Those guys deserve better after what they went through."

"Scott can be awfully formal, too much so for his own good." Beast said calmly. "I'm sure it is not his intention to break up your team my love, he just wishes to ensure he keeps to procedures."

"He can stick the procedures up his ass!" She replied "He probably has already, which explains why he's so stuck up."

Beast didn't reply as doing so would only fuel the fire. When it came to defending the kids in her care she would take no prisoners and that included him. She loved her team and she was proud each of the unique little misfits in it. Despite being the youngest team Beast did consider them rather talented. To him the time in Las Vegas had shown how good they were, especially little Jake who managed to handle himself exceptionally on his own. He decided to change the subject to something that she wouldn't yell about.

"Finding someone in Manhattan will be difficult, but finding Mystique." He said. "We have to rely on Cerebro, that and my sense of smell."

"I won't doubt your nose. It's gotten us a good lunch plenty of times." She said sarcastically. "To be honest I consider it more reliable than Cerebro."

"You doubt the professor?" Beast said.

"No but the Brotherhood are good at staying under his radar." She replied. "And I don't like pinning all our hopes on one mutant, Mystique of all people."

"Right now that is all we've got." Beast admitted, though it was not through lack of trying since the X-Men had been deployed across the US for months. Yet they uncovered little, at times it seemed as though the Brotherhood were aware of what the X-Men were doing.

"_Iceman to big blue dude and sexy computer geek, over." _Beast could only look apologetically at Hack, who was mortified. He grabbed the radio before she could to avoid her screaming at it.

"Beast here, what is the matter Iceman?" He said.

"_You guys need to get over here. We have a surprise for you." _Iceman said. _"A pretty big one." _

"Ah, there you are." Xavier said just as Jake and Mark took sat down in the lounge having arrived back from the infirmary a few minutes before. 'Busted' sprang to mind as they looked up to see the Professor by the door. He didn't look angry, but then Jake had only seen him so once, the day he rescued Jake from the orphanage.

"I think it would be best talk in my office." He said. Jake and Mark got up and sauntered out with the professor, leaving Quinn and Caim alone in the lounge.

The short walk to Xavier's office seemed to take forever to Jake. He had never done anything wrong before in his life so this was a scary new experience for him. He nervously grabbed Mark's hand, who squeezed back comfortingly. The smell of old, polished oak and leather greeted them as they entered the Office. Jake liked the professor a lot but found his office unpleasant, purely because he only went in when something was wrong.

"Please sit down." Xavier said politely. They obeyed and sat opposite him, his huge Oak desk between them. "I am told you skipped lesson and disappeared without anyone knowing where you were. I can understand your needing time out, but in the future can you please speak to me so that I know where you are."

"Yes sir." Jake said apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't think."

"It's alright Jake, don't worry." Xavier replied. "Tell me, where did you go?"

"We went for a walk into the forest. We needed to get away for a while." Mark answered.

"I see, that is understandable." Xavier said. "I sense you are more at ease Jake, happy even, you have resolved some of your difficulties I see."

"Yes sir. Err, me and Mark talked about it, he's helping me get over it." Jake said. "You were right about friends helping you to get over your issues."

"I see, well, that is good." Xavier said, giving an all knowing look at both of them. "It is good you have Mark to help you. Let me give you some advice, you are here because the world outside will not accept you because you are a mutant. You will find that this institute is somewhere to be who you are without being ashamed of it, which includes your sexuality. You don't have to hide it and I ask you not be afraid of how others will react. I am here, as are Miss Munroe and many other adults, none of whom will hesitate to help you. I am sure though you will not need it."

"Thank you professor." Jake said.

"How do you think we should, you know, come out?" Mark asked nervously.

"That is up to you, but my advice is to make sure you friends know and then simply not hide the fact you are together." Xavier said with a gentle smile. "It may well surprise a few people but once it is known you will find no issues, I can assure you, if anything else your friendship with Miss Morr shall deter anyone from making ill will towards you."

Quinn sat uncomfortably and watched the clock, it was taking Mark and Kitchie for ever to get told off, it normally only lasted a couple of minutes for her. She turned to Caim, who was reading. She normally wouldn't have bothered him, but she was bored and she couldn't resist.

"What do you think he's saying to them?" She asked casually, he didn't look up.

"I don't know." He said. She found Caim's silence pleasant normally, the contrast to Mark's snide comments and Jake's cheerful but often long chatting was welcome. But for some reason she needed to break the silence, she hadn't been at ease since she had though Mark had died. She never realised how much she liked him, maybe even loved him. 'As a friend' she quickly added, not that it mattered either way now, he wasn't exactly available. The thought of being with Mark made her queasy anyway, 'definitely as a friend'.

"It seems, strange to think Kitchie and Mark are together." She said, hoping to start some kind of conversation. "I don't mind, they're happy and that's all that matters, but I never realised."

"I never thought about it." Caim said, for a moment she thought he wasn't going to continue when he actually looked up. "I'll support them if they need me to, fight for them if someone has a problem with it and be happy for them when want to be, I'm their friend, it's not my purpose to judge."

"I feel the same way. They can do whatever they want." Quinn replied "They sort of make an odd couple though."

"They like each other, nothing else is important."

"I know that, and to be honest I can see why they do, they've always been close." Quinn said. "But they're rather different. Sorry, I don't mean to talk about them, I don't like talking about people behind their backs."

"Neither do I."

"Can we talk though, I don't like the silence." She said. Caim was quiet for a moment but then shut his book and looked at her. "Okay." He said. "I don't talk back easily though."

"Me neither." Quinn admitted. "Err, have you heard any good music?"

"Bach and Beethoven, I listen to modern stuff too but their works…" Caim didn't finish his sentence.

"They what?" Quinn asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter." He said but she didn't drop her expression, after a moment he gave in. "They relax me and help me to focus on the present."

"What's wrong with the past, and the future?" She said, he paused and thought hard about his response.

"The future scares me and the past is painful." He said.

"I can understand that, I feel the same." Quinn admitted. "I hurt people, and I'm frightened I'll do it again."

Caim's expression turned remorseful, and for a moment his eyes seemed to reveal a thousand different emotions. She knew those eyes; they often stared at her in the mirror. He was about to speak when he noticed Jake and Mark had returned and instantly returned to his resigned state, picking up the book again. Quinn stared a little longer until Mark sat next to her and brought her out of it. Jake sat next to him and hung an arm around him, tenderly resting his head against the other's shoulder.

"Are you two okay?" She asked. Mark nodded and Jake smiled.

"Yeah, Xavier was just worried about us, were not in trouble." He said. Mark lightly caressed Jake's back and they looked at each other lovingly. Quinn felt rather awkward, like she was disturbing them at being so close. She gradually moved away to give them some room. 'Why do new couples always have to be so loved up?' she thought.

She noticed they were attracting attention, Jake and Mark seemed oblivious to the stunned faces staring at them. In fact the only ones not looking were Caim and herself. The couple's small kiss was confirmation for everyone of what they thought was happening. Whispering spread through the room like wild fire. Quinn watched vigilantly to see if anyone was likely to cause trouble but no one seemed to be getting angry. After a few minutes it all died down and most of them simply returned to what they were doing. A few continued to stare but their expression was more of someone interested than angry or upset. A couple of kids left, giggling, but Jake and Mark didn't seem to mind.

"I'm tired." Jake said finally.

"You want to go back to our room and watch a DVD or something together?" Mark asked. "I have some good ones."

"Okay." Jake smiled. They got up and left, leaving Quinn and Caim again.

Suddenly three girls surround her, all smiling happily. "Are those guys dating or something?" One asked cheerfully.

"Yeah so what?" Quinn said harshly. The girls giggled and smiled more widely.

"Aw, that's so cute." Another said.

"They're so cool for not hiding it." The third added.

"Totally, and did you see how cute they were together." The second said.

Quinn sunk back into the sofa and switched off, letting the airheads gossip around her whilst growing steadily more annoyed.

"What were their names?" the first asked, Quinn took a moment to realised she was talking to her again.

"Mark and Jake." She answered coldly.

"I've seen them before." Girl number two declared. "That Jake kid is really friendly."

"Yeah he is, I've spoken to him a couple to times." Number one answered.

"Didn't he get picked on by that senior?" Said another girl who had apparently decided to join their conversation.

"Did he, that's awful." Girl number three whined.

"Yeah, but the senior got his ass kicked by _her_." Said a boy this time, signalling at Quinn. They all smiled at her and suddenly she thought her bed sound irresistible.

"I think it's getting a little busy around her." She said to Caim, who nodded and got up with her.

"I want a gay friend." Girl number one said as they left.

"I know, gay guys are so awesome, they're like, so cool and funny, why can't straight guys be like that." The girl who joined in said.

A/N Hahaha, lol, an insight to what it's like for a gay guy when most girls find out, their comments are funny but welcome, it's better than homophobia. Before you ask, I am the GBF (gay best friend) of several girls, and one straight guy. Anyway, hoped you liked it. I wrote this instead of school work so I'm gonna be in trouble. Oh well…


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh My Gosh!" Was all Hack could say as she stared wide eyed. Beast did no better, too stunned to say anything at all. They entered an abandoned warehouse to find Iceman and Storm speaking to several people. Not just anyone though.

"Greeting my friends, we have been waiting for you." Said one of them, his accent royally British. He wore a Blue and red costume covering his entire body up to his neck, with diagonal stripes across the chest, an elegant long sword rested in his right hand and a small masked covered his eyes. "By gosh, you look like you've seen a ghost!" he teased.

"I don't believe it, Captain Britain. I recognise that voice, you're his son, the original Britain's I mean. I haven't seen you since you were a baby." Beast exclaimed gleefully. "How old are you now?"

"Eighteen, my father passed on the baton shall we say. And I couldn't have been a baby. I remember seeing you clearly when I was young. Beast, my father's old friend." The man replied. "This is my team, the New Excalibur. This is Soothsayer..."

He said, signalling to a tall woman in a long robe that didn't quite cover her large bust, she was in her late forties and had an air of regality about her as she politely bowed her head.

"This is Jack of hearts…" Captain Britain continued the man in question was covered in black and red clothing. He had a long moustache that would have made his appearance quite comical had it not been for the twin long swords held tightly in his grip.

"I believe you know Frostman…" Beast and Hack hadn't noticed the blonde man, tall and muscular. He had the same powers to Iceman, and the two men used to be good friends before he suddenly left.

"And this is…" Britain began but was cut off by his cloaked companion, a bow and brace of arrows on his back.

"They know who I am." He said. Hack's heart sank, she did indeed.

"Hawkeye" She grunted. Beast tensed up before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You know each other." Storm said surprised.

"Yeah, we go way back." Hawkeye grinned, sending a jolt of anger down Hack's spine.

"Unfortunately" Hack replied harshly.

"Now, now play nice Nat, were all friends here, were working together after all." Hawkeye said happily. Hack very nearly bit back but was interrupted.

"Indeed, were both after the same woman, if she can be called that." Captain Britain stated. "Mystique caused some rather dreadful trouble in the UK not so long ago, she stole a rather precious artefact from the British Museum and we intend to bring her back to pay for it. We had just agreed with your companions to help you find her, you can extract the information you need and we can then take her back to _Blightey_ and ensure she feels the wrath of British justice."

"No tea for a year." Frostman remarked sarcastically.

"No one is that cruel" The captain replied in disgust. "Soothsayer is rather good at finding people, so we intend to use her gift to locate the wretch. It's far quicker than your Cerebro."

"That's a good plan." Beast admitted.

"Smashing" Britain declared. "How about we split up into teams, Soothsayer should remain here and concentrate on locating Mystique, and she can keep in contact using the comms. Jack, Storm, Iceman and I as one team and Beast, Hack, Frostman and Hawkeye the other, the rest of your X-Men can tag along as they arrive, rather simple."

"Simple is good." Iceman agreed.

"Great" Hack said sarcastically under her breath, the night was only young and already she hated it.

Jake woke up to find himself in his room, but not how he usually saw it. It was from a side he never slept on, Mark's side of the room. He looked around to find Mark sleeping silently next to him. It was dark outside still but the bird calls told him it was early morning. Normally he would have gotten up but he was too comfortable, Mark's arm draped over his waist whilst his own arms were wrapped around his boyfriend tightly and the blanket was warm and snug. Jack could feel Mark breathing, his chest moving in and out softly. He looked at him, his handsome face seemed content and happy and Jake wondered what he was dreaming about.

Jake had fallen asleep virtually as soon as their movie started, the only thing he remember after they arrived back in their room was how Mark had change into his pyjamas in plain view, allowing him to see his body with only his long boxer shorts and socks for a moment. It was a bizarre and embarrassing moment but Jake certainly didn't dislike it, in fact he found it rather exiting. He himself had fallen asleep in his clothes, still self-conscious about his skinny body.

He laid that, snuggling closely until daylight broke. Before long is stomach gave its usual 'feed me' grumble and Jake sadly pulled himself away, careful not to wake his 'sleeping beauty'. Even he found that thought rather silly. He stripped off his chest and threw it in the hamper, a brief sniff under his arm confirmed that he had spent too long with the t-shirt the day before. He headed into the bathroom and stripped off completely before stepping into the shower. Luke warm water as usual. He scrubbed himself clean, careful around the tender bruises that he bore from Vegas. He wrapped a towel around himself and stared into the mirror. He noticed the steadily increasing amount of fluff growing around his chin and neck. He's have to get a razor soon, that or stay in his glue state for the rest of his life, he would never have a beard then. Sighing he headed back into his room.

"Morning gorgeous"

Jake spun round in horror to find Mark sat up in his bed, smiling at him. He desperately covered his bare chest with his arm and shielded his more private area with his hand despite being hidden by the towel already.

"Relax, you don't have to be like that around me now, I can't see anything anyway." Mark said. "Besides, you're hot."

"What?" Jake said frowning. "I'm like a twig, how is that 'hot'."

"I don't care. Your body is still nice." Mark assured. Jakes cheeks burned, he felt highly uncomfortable as he grabbed some clothes and darted back into the bathroom to change. Mark entered soon after, still smiling. Jake still had his t-shirt over his head when he felt warm hands grip his bare chest and soft lips caress his own. He couldn't see anything, which made him feel all the more exposed, but Mark was good at relaxing him.

"I love you." Mark said softly. "Twig or not, and you _are _sexy."

"I love you too." Jake said as his smile returned as he pulled his shirt full over his head.

"I'm going to get breakfast." Jake said. "Do you want me to wait?"

"No, go ahead. I'll be down after I have a shower." Mark insisted.

Jake kissed him for a minute or two and headed off. Mark sighed, partly out of happiness and partly because he was tired of Jake talking down on himself. Mark would need to find a way of showing him the Jake he saw, a slim, attractive, bubbly, cute, guy.

A/N Ah, aren't British stereotypes fun. I'm British so it ain't racist, though I accept it's not good for the whole 'breaking down the stereotype'. Anyway, Team Britain's role overall is miscule, that's the last time we see the Captain, or Jack, or Soothsayer. Unfortunately for Hack I don't plan on getting rid of Hawkeye that easily, and Frostman is kind of important, kind of.

As for the Mark and Jake thing, that is the steamiest it's gonna get. At least of the chapters I will publish ;D. Lol. Joking.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N It is 4:50 am, I have insomnia, and radio is not helping. I have not spelt a single word correct at all since 'A/N', perfect time to write more of this stuff. If it is crap, I'm sorry. I'm currently being distracted by PINK; she's a good artist, very loud. Oops, that finished, it's now some crappy British boy band, yay.

Jake was normally up a lot earlier so he wasn't used to there being so many people when he got his breakfast. Normally it was a simple case of grabbing some cereal and a bowl, but had to actually go to cafeteria if he had a hope of being fed now.

He noticed the odd looks from people as he walked by, no one looked particularly hostile but it was still disconcerting. He decided to get two breakfasts, one for him and one for Mark so that he wouldn't have to go up and get served as well. The dinner lady smiled at him warmly like she did whenever he saw her, she had a tendency to nag him about eating more so she didn't complain when he grabbed two portions, she seemed rather happy about it actually. He found an empty table in the corner and started eating slowly, waiting for Mark to get there but not torturing himself by not eating whilst he did so.

"Hey there your Jake right?"

Jake looked up to find a couple of girls standing over him, smiling as friendlily as Jake would. He wiped the milk dribbling down his chin away and swallowed his cereal before nodding nervously.

"Are these seats taken?" One of the said.

"Err, I'm waiting for someone, but those are fine." He said, pointing to the ones opposite him.

"Are you waiting for Mark?" Another said enthusiastically. Jake nodded and they giggled happily.

"Hey, he's not there for you to gawp at" Said another girl, older than they were "Leave him alone."

The girls trudged off in a hump, leaving the other girl and her two friends with Jake.

"Hey, word of advice, try to avoid girls like that. They're too immature to recognise gay guys aren't dolls to play with." She said. "I'm Clara by the way, and you're the talk of the Institute."

He red hair matched her orange lip stick and bizarrely her red eyes too.

"Don't worry, it's harmless." She assured as she took the seat opposite him. "It had to happen sometime." Jake looked at her and then her friends, one was a stocky blonde boy with deep blue eyes and the a slim girl, with pouty red lips set against bright white skin and blue hair tied pigtails which made her look like some strange porcelain doll.

"Err, what did?" Jake asked confused.

"A gay guy in the Institute, there was one before but he wasn't a student." She answered. "You watch, now that you and your boyfriend have come out, a dozen others will too."

"Your pretty brave kid" The boy said with a warm smile.

"I don't think so, if it wasn't for Mark I'd still be in the closet." Jake replied.

"Mark was in the closet also remember. You helped him as well." The other girl said matter of factly.

"That's Kira, she knows stuff." Clara explained. "Oh, and that's Yana, he's a Pyrokinetic, he controls fire. My powers are, strange, comes from having strange parents. What about you?"

"I, err, it's hard to explain." Jake said, instead he showed them. He turned his hand into glue and shaped into spoon, making it hard enough to eat his cereal from.

"Cool, so you're like, a proper old school mutant." Yana said. "None of this pathetic, I can make my finger glow, look at how amazing I am. You can turn yourself into see through modelling clay."

"You should not mock him Yana, Mr Kitchener's powers are not yet fully developed, and the day they are realised is approaching." Kira said.

"Kira, you're gonna scare the kid, stop it." Clara said. "Don't mind her, she talks crap half the time, you used your powers in any action outside the danger room?"

"Yeah, I was on a mission a few days ago." Jake answered. "But I shouldn't talk about it."

"I don't want to know what you did, just what you blew up." Yana said. Jake thought for a moment, he hadn't really thought about it until then, he had been too busy.

"Err, I don't know exactly, but I think about two or three helicopters and I must have taken out two dozen guys." He said casually, he didn't think it that amazing for a mutant.

"Whoa, impressive dude, I underestimated you, your killer see through modelling clay."

Jake smiled, he didn't know why they were talking to him but he liked them a lot, they seemed nice in a strange sort of way. He saw Mark entering and waved him over, attracting a lot of attention as he did so.

"Ooh, he's a sweetie." Clara chuckled when she saw Mark "If he weren't gay I'd consider dating him and I don't say that often."

"Yeah right" Yana said under his breath.

"Shut it you." She said, she suddenly reminded of an older, less black covered Quinn. "I can see why you like him, to be fair you're not too bad yourself."

Jake slumped back, his cheeks red once again, he wasn't used to the being called attractive. Mark smiled cautiously as the three seniors around Jake and took a seat next to him.

"Hey, you must be Mark." Clara said. Mark nodded nervously, unsure what was going on.

"We were just saying, or about to say if these two didn't keep interrupting." She said. "That we are proud of you two for not hiding who you are. I don't like bullies or homophobes, if you ever come across someone who is both, I'll deal with it.

"They have been informed of many who will do the same Clara." Kira said. "Truthfully all they need is Quinn and Caim, though be wary of Lars, he is not who he says he is."

Clara leapt up and grabbed her friend rough to tell her that she needed to shut up. "Sorry, someone has forgotten to take her crazy pills today. Well, we'll see you around Jake, you too Mark." She winked playfully and left, her two friends not far behind.

"What was that about?" Mark said.

"I don't know but they seemed nice enough." Jake replied "Strange though."

A/N Its 6:00 am now, that took a while, I have school in like, two hours and now I'm falling asleep, great…

Hoped you liked that curveball. Kinda, sorta, maybe an idea I'm cooking up for another story with Jake in, their some of the characters in it. I hope to have Mark and Quinn and Hack and Caim in it as well.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N IT'S SUNNY! IN ENGLAND! IN MARCH! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE! This is the perfect time to write another chapter under a tree. Ah, happy place. How is everyone?

Hack stalked through an alley, keeping her pace swift as she narrowed in on the man in front of her. He seemed oblivious to her following him, though he moved rather fast for an innocent pedestrian. Of course he wasn't, he wasn't even a 'he'. Mystique had never seen Hack, and since she was wearing civilian clothes the Brotherhood agent had no reason to suspect her. The 'man' darted down a second alley where Hack new Frostman was waiting so 'he' would no doubt take a left and head back into the open street. Rather than follow 'him', she carried on down it and moved to wait for 'him' to emerge.

Team Britain had been more helpful than she expected. Soothsayer had guided them quickly to their target, Britain's team nearly caught her but she just managed to evade them. Hack had picked up on her trail shortly after and together with her team Sheparded her through the streets of Manhattan like a wolf pack.

Hack waited by the entrance of the alley she knew Mystique would exit from, adrenaline pumping through her veins so loudly to drowned out all other sounds around her. A split second past and there 'he' was, scanning the area like a frightened rabbit as 'he' bolted out of the alley. Hack waited to let him pass her before instantly grabbing her. 'He' reacted instantly by throwing a precise fist in the direction of her face but Hack dodged it skilfully before delivering sweeping kick that swept 'his' legs from under him. With unnatural dexterity 'he' caught himself and was on 'his' feet instantaneously, he span high in the air and sent 'his' foot swirling towards Hack's head. She blocked with her arms but the forced of the kick flew her back, hitting a parked car hard.

Suddenly a flash of light flew past her face and struck the 'man'. It took a moment for both 'he' and Hack to register the arrow embedded in 'his' leg. Mystique reverted to her true form as the searing pain caused her to cry out. The entire block erupted into terror as the enraged Mystique searched for the culprit whilst red blood ran from the wound in her dark blue skin. She ripped the arrow out in fury and ran, as quickly as she could, resorting to cartwheels as her leg could hardly take her weight. A second later Hack was on her feet and preparing to give chase when Hawkeye suddenly darted in front of her, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"You okay there Nat?" He said mockingly. Hack scowled at him and started running, only to find Hawkeye keeping pace. "Ooh, cranky as ever I see."

"Shut it, I don't want to talk to you." She blasted.

"Oh, what's the matter Nat, don't want to reminisce about old times?" He retorted. "We had such fun."

"I told you to shut it. We have to catch up to Mystique." Hack said.

"Relax, that arrow was a tracker, she can't hide now." Hawkeye said proudly. "Besides, it's not like she can get very far. Perfect time to catch up, I hear you and Beast are together now. Hairballs turn you on then."

Hack stopped dead and glared at him.

"Firstly, you're sick. Secondly, I'm happy with Hank and that's more than I can say for when I was with you, and while we're on that subject, nothing you did ever 'turned me on'" Hack spat out furiously. Hawkeye laughed heartily.

"We both know that's not true Nat." He replied.

"Don't call me Nat!" She yelled before storming off. She didn't need a tracker to know where Mystique went, the trail of blood made it perfectly obvious.

"You used to like me calling it you." He said behind her.

"That was before I realised what a prick you were." She yelled back. "You haven't changed."

"Now that's not very nice, what'd I do to deserve that?" He asked innocently.

"You insulted my boyfriend for starters." She retorted. "It might surprise you to learn that I actually find Hank attractive, and he's a better man than you'll ever be."

"You're insane." He said

"I must be I dated you!" She shouted. The blood led down an alley that she knew from her GPS lead to a dead end. Since she hadn't come out and was too injured to climb anywhere Mystique was trapped.

Hack signalled him to slow down and follow her as she crept forward into the shadows. It was littered with trashcans and dumpsters that she could easily hide behind. The old saying, 'never corner a rat' sprang to mind, it is said they go for your throat. Even injured Mystique was deadly.

Mystique stepped forward, apparently not wanting to hide any longer. As Hack closed in the blue witch pulled a handgun, levelling it at her so quickly Hack had no time to react.

"Pretty little girl." Mystique said, before squeezing the trigger. A blur of blue flew down behind the woman and she was hurled into the air. The gun went off and the bullet whizzed past Hack's head as Beast held Mystique above his head by her hand.

"That's no way to treat my girlfriend." He said.

Jake had wanted people to notice him for years, but now that it was happening he felt very uncomfortable. The looks he was getting from the people he passed in the corridor were strange, no one looked hateful or angry, but then they didn't seem friendly either. It was a shocked look, like he had done something unthinkable. Lessons were no easier; especially as he was surrounded by kids he didn't know. His friends were not in his geometry or physics classes, meaning he had to sit there and feel the stares of everyone around him. He teachers were no better, trying to pretend everything was normal but not quite succeeding. His last lesson, Biology, seemed to be even worse since they were learning about animal mating. He sat and listened as his teacher explained in detail, aspects of the female autonomy, knowing exactly what everyone was thinking, 'he doesn't need to know this'. It was the most uncomfortable hour of his life. He sat and doodled in his pad, drawing out a large heart and putting 'Jake' and 'Mark' around. Thinking of Mark made it bearable.

"Psst" the person next to him whispered. Jake turned in surprised to find the boy, who he hardly knew, smiling at him.

"Hi, I'm William." He said quietly. "You the Kid you came out, right?" Jake nodded and the boy smiled even wider. He was blonde with soft blue eyes. He had a button nose and thin, red lips.

"You're amazing." He said. "Can you keep a secret?" Jake nodded again.

"I'm gay too, but I thought I was the only one so I kept quiet." He said his voice barely audible. "I'm too scared to come out like you did. How could you do it?"

"I had Mark to help me through it." Jake answered. "Do you have a, you know, someone special?" The boy's cheeks went red and he shook his head.

"No, I'm too shy to ask anyone." He said. "How'd you and Mark get together, I hope you don't mind me asking."

"Of course not, we've been friends for years and he helped me through a bad time." Jake admitted. "We just kinda clicked together."

"Aw, cool." William beamed. Jake returned to his doodling, listening to what his teacher was saying but not really keeping an interest.

"Jake?" William asked again. Jake turned to find the boy had become serious. "Can we be friends, I was hoping you, and Mark, could help me." Jake smiled and nodded once more.

"Mr Kitchener is there a reason you aren't paying attention to my explanation of the female anatomy."

The class bar Jake, William and the teacher burst out laughing. How could he use those exact words, Jake thought, he couldn't have done it intentionally to embarrass him, could he. William secretly gripped his arm, a sign that his new friend supported him.

Lars hated maths with a vengeance. It was full of pathetic little weaklings too dumb to figure out three plus three. Had he not had such remarkable patience he would have put a bullet in every one of them, but that was against his mission. So he sat like a good little boy and did as the teacher told him, content in the knowledge that when the time came, they would die.

"_Do not react boy." _A voice ordered, in his head, an old man's voice with a British accent that he knew well.

"_Listen, the X-Men have one of my agents, I cannot allow her knowledge to lead them to me, not with my plans so close to fruition." _It said. _"Ensure she does not talk, preferably by liberating her, terminate only if necessary. Your usefulness is coming to an end anyway. Do not worry about your cover. Consider yourself free to carry out your orders with as much carnage and destruction as you damaged little mind wishes."_

Silence. He supressed a smirk, at last his time had come. He pondered that last comment for a moment, the truth was that he was content to allow everyone to live as long as he could get his chance to hurt the one he hated most, the little fag who he had come to despise. 

A/N William is not going to feature much in the future chapters. I wanted to introduce him a couple of chapters ago, I planned for him to play a major role but chickened out, instead he's gonna be in the next story, when I write it. Hoped you like the Hack and Hawkeye bit, though it's rare for a mission to go so well…

Lars is evil.

That is all.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N Story time… eurgh, I've hit the wall again… this chapter might be crap… ha yeah I know 'might be'…

The commotion in New York was headline news across the news channels. The phrases, 'Mutant attack in New York' and 'Mutants strike another US city' were plastered across the TV screens as Mark switched through every channel. Everywhere he looked there were angry people spouting nonsense about Mutants and how they were attacking the United States, from Glen Beck to Ophra Winfrey. He guessed something big had happened and that the X-Men were no doubt involved but he didn't know what was going on. In the end he turned the TV off, noticing the absence of the usual groan or complaint from other people watching.

As soon as he switched of the TV he was confronted with the same problem he had before, he was bored. Jake was nowhere to be seen and Quinn and Caim were doing what they usually did after classes, in Caim's case hide somewhere to get some peace and in Quinn's, well detention was likely. She had a habit of swearing at teachers or other students, or being late, or generally being disruptive and difficult. If he was honest their absence wasn't that big a deal, they disappeared often, but Jake was worrying him.

Mark had noticed the stares and weird looks from the other students. He could see some of them still gossiping about him in the Longue. He could take it though, whilst Jake worried about things and could get embarrassed easily. Mark was worried something had happened and upset him, or worse.

He was about to get up and look for him when Jake bounded in, looking happy, with some blonde kid who was talking to him. A pang of something hit him, he suspected it was jealousy but that was stupid, he had nothing to be jealous at.

"Hey." Jake said smiling. "This is Will." Mark smiled as warmly as he could.

"Hello, Jake's been telling me about you." Will said before turning back to Jake. ", I should get going. I'll speak to later, kay." Jake nodded. Will smiled at Mark a last time and scurried away. Jake fell onto the Sofa next to Mark and wrapped an arm around him.

"What was that all about?" Mark asked.

"Will's someone from my Biology class. He's, err, 'like us' only he hasn't told anyone other than me, and now you know too." Jake said. "He's nice"

"Oh, cool." Mark said. "I'm glad he's nice."

"You okay, you seem a little odd?" Jake said.

"I'm fine. I've just been worried about you." Mark said. "I was afraid something upset you or something."

"I'm fine." Jake said, placing his arms around him and kissing him on his cheek. 'Jake's getting his confidence back' Mark thought. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Good." Mark said smiling. "How's your day been?"

"Kinda weird, everyone's been giving me strange looks and whispering stuff but I think it's starting to settle down. No one's been giving me trouble, a few people have even been oddly nice me." Jake said. "What about you?"

"The same, I think people are going to need time to get used to the idea of us being together." Mark said. "Hell, I'm still getting used to it." As Jake rested his head on Mark's shoulder.

"I like it, us together I mean. It's nice to have someone else." He said. "I love you."

Quinn scanned through her wardrobe, black jeans, black t-shirts, dark blue jeans that were practically, a bunch of sweaters (all black, most with slogans only she found funny) and a long, black trench coat she could cover herself in. She thought black was her colour; she suited black, from her personality to her skin colour. Yet she delved deeper into the back of her wardrobe, shoving her way past the layers of scarfs and clothes she didn't like anymore to find what she was looking for, a small, green T-shirt with an angry bunny rabbit cartoon. She hadn't worn it at all since she got it from Kitchie for her last birthday, months ago, but she wanted a change. She didn't know why but she was getting tired of the constant black.

She pulled off her neck high sweater and black vest and pulled the green Tee over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror. With her ankle device on to hide her mutant appearance she looked different, the t-shirt actually looked kind of nice on her. For a moment she thought I almost looked pretty. But that though was thrown out almost immediately.

A knock at the door brought her back to reality. "What." She said bluntly. The door opened quietly and Caim stepped in, shutting it behind him whilst clutching something. He looked at her with surprise suddenly and a faint blush lined his cheeks. She suddenly realised that the T-shirt was lower than she had expected, cutting down in a 'v' a few inches and flattered he small chest.

"I, err, thought you'd like this." He said nervously. "It's a Bach CD, you might like it."

"Thanks." She said quickly. "Sorry about being rude when you knocked, I didn't know it was you."

"It's ok." He said. "I, err, was hoping you could help me with my maths."

"Surely your better asking Kitchie, or Mark, or someone who actually listens in class." Quinn scoffed.

"I want to give Jake and Mark some space and I can't ask anyone else." Caim said.

"Fine, if you want." Quinn said "If you help me with my English."

"Okay." Caim answered. They took a seat on Quinn's bed and began reading through the questions. Algebra was Quinn's least favourite thing she had ever been taught yet she found that Caim was completely stumped by it. After a while even she was confused by it, and they both realised that they would need to ask Jake how to do it when they saw him. He was very good at maths, a genius at it even.

"How about we play that CD?" Quinn said finally. Caim nodded and got out the disk and began to play it. Her old, worn out CD player didn't do the music justice but she actually found it didn't bother her. She found it quite relaxing.

"I like it, it's nice." She said. Caim smiled, it was soft and slight, and nothing like Jake's beaming, but still held the same impact.

"Good. I like to just sit and listen to it, it's calming." He replied. She sat back and rested her head back against the wall.

"Thanks Caim."


	19. appology

Author's Note: I've got to apologise so much for the way I've abandoned you all, my fans but most importantly my friends on here. I've had a hell of time lately and I've not been on the internet at all. I'm back now though, for good. Forgive me? Xxxxxxx


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